House panel reviews planting of trees at Nabha sanctuary

Sanjay Bumbroo

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Nabha, October 24

A sub-committee of the Punjab Assembly visited Mehar Bir (wildlife sanctuary) here today to review the progress made by the Forest Department in planting traditional trees in the sanctuary.

After surveying Mehar Bir and Kulhe Majra Bir, the sub-committee led by its chairman Rakesh Pandey will submit its recommendations to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for the further development of the sanctuaries in the state.

The other members of the committee include Rajinder Singh and Kulwant Singh Pandori (both MLAs) and Divisional Forest Officer Patiala.

Rakesh Pandey told The Tribune that the aim of the visit was to ensure that the work of restoring sanctuaries does not remain only on paper.

He expressed satisfaction over the project and added that all the sanctuaries would be developed in the state by planting various varieties of trees like peepal, guava, amla, kikar, guler, bera beri, black plum (jamun) and bahera trees.

Chairman Pandey said that ‘pahari kikar’ had destroyed local sanctuaries and there was a need to remove these for the plantation of various tree varieties.

He said they would send a proposal to the government for organising educational tours of school and college students to create awareness about the importance of wildlife.

Pandey said they were also seeking suggestions and problems being faced by the Forest Department in the restoration of these sanctuaries.

The project of restoring sanctuaries was initiated during the SAD-BJP government in 2015-16. The sanctuary is spread over 24.38 hectares and more than 12,190 trees of different varieties had been planted at a cost of Rs 58.52 lakh.

DFO Arun Kumar said that most of the sanctuaries are located in Patiala Forest Division (six in number) and the project of restoration has already been cleared by the government.

Arun Kumar said the total cost of the project was around Rs 4 crore.

He said the project was stopped as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned the cutting of trees.