Environment activist Subhas Datta has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Shibpur is being turned into a park and flagging the loss of green cover and interconnectedness of the lakes, among other issues.
The garden, under the aegis of the Botanical Survey of India, is looked after by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
Datta has marked copies of the letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, among
others.
The activist has said in his letter that certain actions by the garden authorities are not beneficial for the heritage garden.
He has written: “The garden was set up for the conservation and preservation of rare plants for research. The actions of the local authority appear to be shifting
the priority to making it more attractive for visitors. The focus has shifted to making it into a park with common plants. The ground bio-diversity of the area has been disturbed. The fauna of this place including civets, foxes, different types of reptiles and creepers that existed are now troubled.”
In response to the allegation, garden director Devendra Singh said: “We have planted 5,000 rare species of trees and we are not turning the garden into a park.”
Datta has also alleged in his letter that the sprawling garden, located in a polluted city, has been losing green cover. Cyclone Amphan had robbed the garden of around 1,000 trees in May 2020.
“Present satellite images reveal there has been a further reduction in green cover
after May 2020,” Datta has written.
Singh replied that a lot of invasive species that threaten endangered plants have been removed from the garden and that might lead to the perception that the garden has lost green cover.
There are 24 lakes in the garden that were interconnected through underground pipes. These lakes were indirectly linked to the river Hooghly through a circular canal.
“Unfortunately, the interconnectivity of the lakes is now lost and because of that water is stagnant. Some of the lakes are not properly looked after,” the activist has written in his letter to Modi.
He has also highlighted the fact that the circular canal is getting choked with waste from neighbouring houses.
Singh said: “Intach is cleaning up the circular canal and also creating a sewage treatment plant so that the waste material is treated and the water quality is maintained.”
Datta has also complained that the sluice gates through which water from the Hooghly enters canals in the garden are not functioning. Singh said two gates are functioning and the third is being repaired.
Datta has also written: “Our team has also found that while heritage structures within the garden like Roxburgh House are being hardly maintained and in dilapidated condition apparently for lack of fund, apparently huge fund has been invested to spruce up a cafeteria and adjoining region.”
The Telegraph recently visited the garden with Datta and found a large arena had been cleaned to extend the cafeteria zone.
