Work on Rs 100 Crore IHAMP project begins in J&K's Bhaderwah

The Rs 100 crore project over 12.5 acres of land at two sites, over 6.8 acres at Thanthera and 5.6 acres at Chabbra-Kotli meadow, is aimed at boosting medicinal research infrastructure and serving as a major source of income for local farmers.

The construction work on the ambitious Institute of High Altitude Medicinal Plants (IHAMP), first of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir, commenced at Chabbra-Kotli here, officials said on Monday. The Rs 100 crore project over 12.5 acres of land at two sites, over 6.8 acres at Thanthera and 5.6 acres at Chabbra-Kotli meadow, is aimed at boosting medicinal research infrastructure and serving as a major source of income for local farmers. The land at both the sites has been acquired by the ministry of AYUSH for establishing the regional collection centre and research institute simultaneously, the officials said. "We have started the work on construction site at Chabbra with a target to complete it in 18 months," Executive Engineer, Roads and Buildings department Bhaderwah, Vinod Kumar Sharma said.

In the first phase, he said, the construction of District Collection Centre, which includes nine sub components including administrative block, auction platform, storage godowns, canteen and health care centre at a cost of Rs two crore, has been taken up. For the construction of compound wall and crate wall at Thanthera, the main site for the development of the institute, tenders would be issued in the next two to three days and the work is expected to start by the end of this month, he said. The IHAMP is expected to enhance the income of hundreds of local farmers by encouraging them to grow rare medicinal plants and herbs besides providing them a market to sell their produce, the officials said.

They said the institute would be a pioneer in research about rare medicinal plants found at high altitude places and will provide research in medicinal plants and promote their cultivation. Besides, the institute would also provide employment and promote medicinal plants in foreign markets, they said. The project's nodal officer, Iftkhar Malik, said the estimated cost of the entire project is Rs 100 crore and the deadline for its completion is two years. "It is expected that the project will also become a major source of income for the farmers in cultivation of medicinal plants," he said.