CHITRAL: The three-day international conference of botanists on ‘digitisation and documentation of plant natural resources in Chitral’ ended here on Saturday, ensuring botanists’ access to the plant biodiversity of the area which formerly remained obscure from the world.

Organised by the Chitral University the conference was participated by botanists of national and international repute who read out their papers on the subject and imparted training to the teachers of the university.

Addressing the concluding ceremony, noted botanist Dr Mary Elizabeth Barkworth of Utah University of USA said it was a landmark day in the history as the work on digitisation of the plant species was being started in an obscure and remote area known by very few people about its geography.

She said the assembly of the plant documentation specialists in the conference would have far-reaching results on the future of research on the plant species in the area making Chitral ‘the paradise of botanists’ on the basis of its rich variety.

She appreciated the quality of all the 44 papers read out on the occasion, most of which were about the endemic species of plants found nowhere in the world, and many would lead to brainstorming of the young botanists thus, widening the base of research.

On the occasion, the project director of the university, Dr Badshah Munir Bukhari, said the conference was unique in many respects as it had been opened to botanists throughout the world online making possible their active interaction.

He said the varsity would organise a number of national and international conferences during the current academic year.

PROTEST THREATENED: The elders of Torkhow tehsil have threatened to come onto the roads if the provincial government did not restart work on the federally-funded Booni-Torkhow road by April 15, which was abandoned by communications and works department six months ago despite the centre had released funds to this effect.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, they complained that launched 10 years ago, the progress on the project was going at snail’s pace.

They said the landowners were awaiting compensation as their agricultural lands and fruit orchards were acquired for the project.

The elders accused the Chitral deputy commissioner of keeping the amount of Rs67 million in his account instead of disbursing it to the landowners. They also alleged that the deputy commissioner mistreated the local bodies’ representatives when they met him to apprise him about the delay in the project.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2018