Srinagar, Mar 27: Over 50 percent of parks and lawns maintained by the Floriculture Department in Kashmir are concentrated in Srinagar district, while Anantnag accounts for another 33 percent, with the two districts together hosting nearly 83 percent of the region’s total park area, official data presented in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly revealed.
The data also highlighted a skewed distribution of green spaces, particularly in Srinagar, where the department maintains significantly more VIP lawns than public parks. According to district-wise figures, Srinagar has 30 public parks under the Floriculture Department, compared to 85 VIP lawns—almost three times the number of parks accessible to the general public. The department also maintains five nurseries in the district.
In terms of area, public parks in Srinagar span around 201.60 hectares, while VIP lawns cover 13.29 hectares and nurseries 25.45 hectares, taking the total green space managed in the district to over 240 hectares. The information was shared in response to a question by legislator Sham Lal Sharma.
Across Kashmir, the Directorate of Floriculture maintains 211 parks, lawns, and nurseries, covering a cumulative area of more than 431 hectares. Anantnag has 30 parks, followed by Baramulla with 16 and Budgam with 10 public parks. Srinagar alone accounts for about 240.34 hectares under parks and lawns, while Anantnag has 116.3 hectares, together making up 83.3 per cent of the total park area in Kashmir.
The list of parks in Srinagar includes prominent tourist and heritage sites such as Nishat Garden, Shalimar Garden, Chashmashahi, Pari Mahal, Harwan, Badamwari Park, and the Tulip Garden. Chashmashahi is the largest public park in Kashmir in terms of area, spanning 1,092 kanals, while the Tulip Garden covers 602 kanals. Nishat and Shalimar gardens together account for around 600 kanals under the department’s maintenance.
The government informed the House that no new parks are currently proposed in Jammu and Kashmir, with the focus instead on restoration, upgradation, and consolidation of existing assets.
However, it noted that a Chrysanthemum Theme Garden was established at the Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden in Srinagar in 2025 at a cost of ₹176.79 lakh as part of ongoing developmental efforts.
The data also indicated that several parks in Jammu and Kashmir are either outsourced or being developed by tourism and other development authorities, including in Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Rajouri, and Bandipora.
