SRINAGAR - Kashmir’s heritage Emporium Garden is all set to get a facelift with the state government planning to spend rupees 15 million to restore the garden to its lost glory.

Located in Srinagar, the garden used to be under the British residency during the state’s erstwhile Dogra era, and the Britishers had planted many exquisite plants and flowers in this garden, which used to be a major tourist attraction before insurgency broke out in the valley.

Now once again, the authorities are working hard to beautify and renovate the garden.

“We have instructions to beautify the garden as fast as we can. And after a month you will see the garden in a new form. We have divided the work into three phases. Short term, where we can work immediately, mid term, where we can work on enhancing the garden all through the year and long term, that entails all the work that we can do in long term, to beautify the garden further and to present this garden to the people.

The people can come and witness for themselves how the garden has been restored to its lost glory,” said Ghulam Sarwar Naquash Director, Floriculture.

With the renovation work in full swing, residents hopes of seeing the garden restored to its lost glory are revived.

“Earlier lots of tourists used to come here, there used to be a fair as well but the deterioration in the situation in the valley also took toll on the garden as people stopped coming here. But now the work is being done to restore the garden and again we hope that once again the tourists will start coming here and fair will be held like it used to be in the earlier days,” said Shabir Ahmed, a resident.

The beautification plan focuses on the integrated development of the garden complex, with landscaping of the lawns, repair of the drainage system.

The authorities hope that the restoration of the Emporium Garden will help to develop the site as a hot spot for tourists. (ANI)