Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 31: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has shot off another letter to Minister of State with Independent Charge of AYUSH Shripad Naik voicing concern over shifting of National Institute of Medicinal Plants (NIMP) from Bhaderwah to some other parts of the country.
In a letter to Naik, Azad referred to his (Naik’s letter to him dated 16th December, 2015), which conveyed that Department of AYUSH is all set to deprive and dispossess the people of Bhaderwah and Chenab Valley of the benefits of proposed Institute under the cloak of a supposed report of a Central team.
“I am constrained to write this rejoinder letter to convey my deep sense of disgust and disappointment over the unjust, uncalled for and arbitrary move of the Ministry of AYUSH to relocate the proposed NIMP from its approved location at Bhaderwah in J&K to some other part of the country,” Azad wrote. However, he said, shockingly your recent letter dated 16th December, 2015 seems to convey that Department of AYUSH is all set to deprive and dispossess the people of Bhaderwah and Chenab Valley of the benefits of the proposed institute under the cloak of a supposed report of a Central team.
“Incidentally, I had alluded to in my previous letter dated 12th September, 2015 about a conspiracy being hatched by anti-development forces and certain vested interests to re-locate the proposed institute from Chenab Valley on political consideration. I was pretty confident that you would rise above petty partisan considerations and direct for immediate commencement of execution on the proposed project. Considering the importance of Institute, that would serve the national interest, as also fulfill regional and local aspirations,” Azad said in his letter.
“After going through your letter, I am left with no doubt to surmise that the re-Iocation of the proposed institute from Bhaderwah in J&K is being done solely for the fact that it was conceived, proposed and sanctioned by the UPA Government under my watch and oversight, when Department of AYUSH used to be part to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,” he said.
He added that there seems to be clandestine motive to re-locate the prestigious institute from Bhaderwah in Chenab Valley region of J&K to some other part of the country.
Pointing out that Chenab Valley is home to more than 40 per cent forest wealth of J&K State having congenial climate and topography for hosting an institution devoted to the conservation, development and sustainable management of medicinal plants, Azad said Bhaderwah is known in the entire J&K as the hub of herbal and medicinal plant wealth and therefore, would serve as the rich source of raw material for undertaking research, conservation and propagation of medicinal plants.
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