Workers clear land for the botanical garden in Jokai. Telegraph picture

Nov. 5: The next time you are in the neighbourhood of the Jokai reserve forest, don’t forget to steal a quick visit to the botanical garden within.

The garden is at present being developed into an ideal eco-tourism destination.

The forest department has extended the four-hectare area of the botanical garden to 30 hectares.

Other conversion work is also on.

The botanical garden, located 14km from Dibrugarh town, was in a pitiable condition because of lack of maintenance.

“Everybody knows that the forest department in our state is always short on manpower. It’s the same story with the Dibrugarh forest division, which has the responsibility of maintaining the botanical garden. We then thought of taking the help of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme,” said Dibrugarh divisional forest officer (DFO) Anurag Singh.

The orchidarium and the greenhouse of the garden are now being revamped under the NREGA scheme.

At least 22 workers have been engaged for the project.

The department has restored the interpretation centre, residential quarters and toilets and installed a generator for power supply.

The forest reserve is endowed with a huge variety of aromatic plants, medicinal trees, oil-bearing plants, fruit trees, leopards, civets, black panthers, flying squirrels, various species of butterflies, pythons and number of other reptiles, besides fisheries.

The forest department has taken up plantation of all species of trees, herbs, plants, orchids and indigenous medicinal plants within the extended botanical garden.

The department has also arranged biogas chulhas (stoves) for the families living around the forest reserve under the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme.

“The idea is to provide alternative fuel to the neighbouring villagers who otherwise engage in felling trees for firewood,” Singh said.

Work is also on to protect the erakhuti (beels) within the forest and to create a habitat for gibbons.

Gibbons are found in Dehing Patkai within Joypur reserve forest.

The forest department is now contemplating introduction of elephant and horse rides, besides trekking events.

Singh said the divisional forest office and the district administration are preparing a project worth Rs 3.5 crore to convert the botanical garden into an attractive eco-tourism destination.

“We always feel that the forest could become an important learning spot and environmental monument for the students and people of the district. It is a good initiative undertaken by the forest department and hope that it will bear fruit,” Nakul Khound, co-ordinator of IRAB-KIRAB, an NGO working on environmental issues, said.