GDC Kargil organizes botanical tour to Mushkoo Valley, Drass.

Kargil, July 20, 2023: Department of Botany, Govt. Degree College Kargil organized one-day botanical tour for the botany students of 5th semester to Drass Valley on Wednesday.
The tour was conducted as an integral annual component of their curriculum designed for the undergraduate students of BSc.
A total of ninety five students were escorted by Assistant Professor, Rinchen Angmo and Assistant Professor, Razia Parveen during the tour. The botanical tour was organized with an objective to learn and understand the immense floral diversity of Ladakh, their potential medicinal uses and ecological significance in the fragile ecosystem of District Kargil.
The tour began with a briefing by Rinchen Angmo about the ethics of plant collection and herbarium preparation by Razia Parveen. The students trekked the high slopes and hills of Mushkoo valley to collect materials of ecologically important and medicinally valued plant species and gather on field knowledge of the same.
Both the Assistant Professors enlightened students about the taxonomic features and botanical nomenclature of plant species and their uses in traditional medicine as raw material and their significance as a major component of local food, recipes and fodder for livestock.
It gave a good chance to the students to make themselves aware about the local flora and their importance. Students collected around 30 plants form the hills and plains of Mushkoo valley which includes Chenopodium foliosum, Cicer Microphyllum, Codonopsis sp, Convolvulus arvense, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Hyoscyamus niger, Lindlofia anchusoides, Prangos pabularia, Richteria pyrethroides, Physochlaina praealta, Rhodiola imbricata, Rosa webbiana etc.
The students had lunch at Bimbhat village witnessing beautiful meadows and beautiful rivers. The students also visited Kargil War Memorial built by Indian Army located at National Highway. The war memorial commemorates the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan. The central point of attraction is the pink sandstone wall with a metal plate commemorating the names of the troops who lost their lives during Operation Vijay. The Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill, and Batra Top are all visible from the location.
It also includes Captain Manoj Pandey gallery which honours a young officer who received the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. One of the Army Officer Amit Thapa enlightened the group with the main features and attractions of War Memorial.
The tour will be followed by a workshop on herbarium preparation and tour presentation by students in the department to enhance their skill and knowledge. The faculty of department of botany along with the students expressed gratitude to the Principal, GDC Kargil for providing the transportation facility for the tour.