Jammu to have Tulip garden

Jammu, July 15: The winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir will soon have a tulip garden similar to the one in the valley, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here said.

Mr Azad, who inaugurated the sub-continent's largest underground Aquarium-Cum-Awareness Centre at Bagh-e-Bahu yesterday, said the tulip garden in the Kashmir valley was very well received by tourists and locals.

Encouraged by the overwhelming response, a tulip garden will also be set up here where tulips will bloom in the month of February only as against the month of April in Srinagar, the Chief Minister said.

He further stated that the aquarium -- the first phase of which has been completed at an estimated cost of Rs 877 lakhs -- would be a much-needed addition to the Bagh-e-Bahu, visited by a large number of people.

He also released a book on the Aquarium-cum-Awareness -Centre.

State-of-the-art equipment has been installed at the aquarium which also has a public gallery, museum, laboratory and a multi-media conference hall.

The entrance of the aquarium has been designed as a fish mouth while the exit has been given the shape of fish tail.

The aquarium also houses a museum where 400 varieties of both fresh water and marine fish have been put on display.

UNI