3 bamboo technology parks to be set up in UTs of J-K, Ladakh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said three bamboo technology parks will soon be set up in the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh for the commercial exploitation of bamboo farming in the region. Singh said bamboo grows naturally Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua and neighbouring Himalayan foothill districts of Punjab and there is huge potential to commercially exploit bamboo farming in the area.

"Bamboo technology parks will soon be set up in the two new UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The three bamboo parks are proposed to be established in Jammu, Srinagar and Leh," he said, chairing a review meeting of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) here. The minister said this will be a gift from the DoNER ministry to the two new UTs that came into existence on Thursday, according to an official statement.

Singh, the Union minister for DoNER, said considering the success of the National Bamboo Mission (NBM), this model will be replicated in the two new UTs in the sphere of horticulture. He said a team of high-level ministry officials had recently visited the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and held wide-ranging talks with the local administration.

He also assured that the Centre will allocate enough funds for the proposed bamboo parks. Singh said the funding will provided jointly by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which directly administers the UTs; the Ministry of Agriculture, which launched the NBM; and the DoNER Ministry.

"If required, I will discuss the allocation of funds with the Union home minister and agriculture minister for this purpose," he said. The Guwahati-based Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), functioning under the North Eastern Council, will implement the project, he said.

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