The Punjab biodiversity board has submitted its proposal to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is also the chairman of the board, regarding the conservation and acquisition of Inami Bagh, a more than 100-year-old mango orchard spread over 10 acres in a Hoshiarpur village, owned by NRI brothers with 37 rare native varieties of the king of fruits.
The proposed site would be declared as a biodiversity heritage site. It will thus be the first national biodiversity heritage site of Punjab.
Last year, Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh announced that the proposed site with over 165 trees and about 37 rare native varieties would be declared as biodiversity heritage site.
The board has projected that Rs 1.75 crore would be incurred in preservation and acquisition of land of the heritage site. The poject would involve land acquisition and conservation of the mango varieties.
The board has asked for a grant of Rs 1.50 crore from the environment ministry for acquisition of the land at the rate of Rs. 15 lakh per acre while the rest of the money has been sought from the state government.
The board is also planning to conduct physio-chemical study on the varieties. It has also planned to constitute a biodiversity management committee, comprising local stakeholders, to preserve the Inami Bagh, which derived its name from an award it received in the days of the British regime for its unique taste of mangoes.
