The BMC community centre at Ekamra Van. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 18: The forest and environment department will develop an interpretation centre near Ekamra Van on the western bank of the Bindusagar lake.

To be constructed over 0.56 decimal, the centre will work as a knowledge dissemination hub on medicinal plants, ayurveda and scriptures on Ekamrakshetra (old Bhubaneswar).

Ekamra Van, which was initiated by the forest department with 140 medicinal plants in 2009, now boasts of 240 varieties. The interpretation centre will have an information kiosk on each plant. The two-storey centre will also have a viewpoint, so that visitors can sit there and enjoy view of the holy lake, the medicinal plant garden and the 11th century Lingaraj temple. Besides, there will also be a small library with books on ayurveda. “We will also add a souvenir shop at the interpretation centre with objects such as ceramic mugs, T-shirts or key rings with pictures of Bindusagar, Lingaraj temple and photographs of Ekamra Van,” said range officer of the city forest division Ashok Mishra.

The proposed souvenir shop at the centre may also include sale of extracts of medicinal plants found at Ekamra Van.

Sources in the forest department said the land earmarked for the interpretation centre was under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation as the civic body runs a community centre at the place. However, it will be shifted to another place nearby and the land will be utilised to develop the interpretation centre.

“Since the past three years, the corporation had been planning to shift the community centre, and now, they are able to locate an alternative site for shifting of it. As soon as we get the land, we will dismantle the old structure and start the construction. The interpretation centre will be built at a cost of Rs 26 lakh, and it will be part of the ongoing beautification project of Bindusagar,” a forest official said. Old Bhubaneswar resident Sujata Rath is happy to hear the plan. “When we visit Ekamra Van and want to know more about the medicinal plants, the forest department employees are unable to explain in details. But now, I hope that with the interpretation centre coming up, the garden will attract more visitors.”