A report in the Kashmir Times describes the nefarious nexus between Floriculture Department and Contractors
Tulip Garden a Boon for Officials
D S Ahmad
Srinagar: Besides becoming a main attraction for the tourists since last few years, tulip garden, has allegedly become a white elephant for some officials concerned.
Sources said that the top officers of the floriculture department, developing and maintaining the garden have discovered a money minting machine out of the garden.
They said the officials of the department are intentionally causing delay in sowing the bulbs to benefit the blue eyed contractors.
“Scientifically the ripe time for sowing the tulips is November but the concerned officials deliberately cause delay in the process to give benefits to their favourite contractors,” sources said.
They said the late sowing of the tulips affect the proper propagation of the plant which paves way for the officials to invite tenders for the purchase of new tulips every year.
“If a tulip of a good quality is sown at the proper time it can produce seven to eight bulblets. But the officials in nexus with some contractors deliberately start the sowing process late by one month or more. They know that the tulips if sown late can badly affect the propagation of the plant and will not produce any bulblet,” said the sources.
An official in the floriculture department said that the concerned officials do not follow the proper scientific procedure with regard to sowing and other processes.
” If deliberately ignore following the proper procedure as they know by doing so they will not require to invite the tenders for importing new tulips,” he said.
He added that the department through the contract mafia imported 10 lakh tulips in 2008, 8 lakhs in 2009 and four lakhs this year.
“Had the officials followed the proper procedure for the healthy propagation of the plant they would not have required to purchase new tulips every year. They have not been able to produce a single bulblet and then store it for the future use,” said another official wishing anonymity.
Attributing the delay in sowing of tulips to the summer unrest from last three consecutive years, Incharge officer, Tulip garden, Javed Ahmad Shah told Kashmir Times,” No doubt the ripe season for sowing the tulip is November but the summer unrest during last three years led to the delay in sowing the tulips.”
On charges of ignoring the proper procedure deliberately to benefit the blue eyed contractors Shah said,” A tulip needs a proper infra-structure and conducive atmosphere like fertile soil and weather for the proper production. But we lack everything here. In the poor atmosphere that we have in Kashmir we can not even produce 3-4 bulblets from the tulip.”