Hyderabad: High fee for 5-day course stings city garden lovers

Hyderabad: Amid the growing passion of terrace gardens in urban areas, the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, (PJTSAU), Extension Education Institute, Hyderabad has planned to organise a five-day certificate course on 'Terrace and Balcony Gardening' for the beginners of Urban and Peri-Urban areas at EEI Rajendranagar. The training programme will kick start from October 11 and will conclude on October 15.

According to a press release issued by the University, home makers, employees and plant enthusiasts – who want to raise a garden of both veggies and fruits on their terrace or backyard can register their names. During the five-day long training programme, the garden experts will impart garden raising techniques to the trainers at Extension Education Institute, Rajendranagar.

For a five-day of training, the university has fixed a course fee of Rs.4,000 which is not refundable. Interested candidates have to register their names by visiting the websites www.eeihyd.org or www.pjtsau.edu.in. For payment of course fee and registration of names, the last date has been fixed as October 3. Moreover, the medium of instruction will be Telugu only. Apart from this only 30 candidates who paid the fees on a first-come-first-serve basis will be able to take part in the training," the release further said.

The certificate course is organised by Dr M Jagan Mohan Reddy, Director Extension Education Institute, Professor Dr P Vijaya Lakshmi and Professor Dr R Vasantha.

Meanwhile, the garden experts and enthusiasts in the city raised objections over the fixation of a huge course fee for a training period of mere five days.

"After learning about the course fee of Rs.4,000 for five days of training programme being organised by PJTSAU, Rajendranagar, I feel happy to be a part of City of Terrace Gardens (CTG) group, a Whatsapp platform for learning garden raising over terrace. Apart from dispelling doubts on a daily basis, the admin and the experts in the group will help you overcome the problems being faced by you while raising gardens. They also buttress support in improving garden ethics through suggesting better ways to deal with pests, protein and potting mix," felt Anupama, a member of 15 CTG group.

Abdul Raheem, another garden enthusiast said, "Though we are happy to hear about the university initiative but are completely taken aback learning the course fee which is Rs.4,000/- for a duration of five days. There are several YouTube channels and Whatsapp platforms where we can learn basic of gardening. Even the gardening experts on Doordarshan Kisan are imparting training about raising veggies and fruits over terrace for the beginners. This has turned several laymen plant enthusiasts into a professional plant grower. Management of Agricultural University should hold such programmes free of cost and on a regular basis to promote urban gardening."

Expressing displeasure over the fixation of huge amount as course fee for a training programme of just five days, Srinivas Harkara, a senior Supreme Court Advocate and founding admin of 'City of Terrace Gardens (CTG)' group, said, "Though the training programme on raising terrace garden is a welcoming initiative but the course fee of Rs.4,000/- for a duration of mere five days is too much to bear for the people especially the garden enthusiasts."

"Being an agricultural university the management of the institution should organise such programs free of cost to promote urban gardening," he said, adding that "If required the management can take the help of the government too to amplify the arrangements for the garden lovers. This will surely encourage more and more people to raise gardens on their terrace in the city thereby conveying and fulfilling the very purpose of the agricultural university."