MAPUSA
With overgrown weeds, the sight of the first herbal garden in the State is anything but a garden.
Lack of maintenance has virtually turned the garden into a jungle of wild growth within five months since it was set up at the Aldona Primary Health Centre (PHC).
Thick bushes of wild weeds have swamped the institutional herbal garden which has more than 60 varieties of medicinal plants.
The herbal garden was set up with an aim to create awareness among the public on the variety of medicinal plants available in the State.
The garden with the medicinal plants was set up in the campus of the Aldona PHC on August 15 last year and inaugurated by Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral and in the presence of local MLA Glenn Ticlo.
The project was set up on pilot basis covering an area of around 600 square metres at the health centre.
It was taken up under the initiative of Dr Aditya Barve, an Ayurveda practitioner attached to the Aldona PHC.
Dr Barve informed that water supply and the security aspect of the garden was looked after by staff of the Aldona PHC. “We don’t have necessary funds to carry out maintenance work of de-weeding or trimming of the plants. We have sent several reminders to the bio-diversity committee of the Aldona panchayat to carry out the maintenance work.”
The bio-diversity committee of the Aldona Panchayat was entrusted with the maintenance of the garden. The State Bio-diversity Board had also transferred Rs 25,000 to the bio-diversity committee for the maintenance of the garden.
According to the chairman of the bio-diversity committee, Deepak Naik, the government should set up the parameters for the maintenance work.
“We will take up the maintenance of the garden as soon as we discuss the nitty-gritties of the maintenance work with the department concerned,” Naik said.
