Illegal structures come up in Anandpur Sahib eco-sensitive zone

Illegal buildings and commercial establishments are coming up in the eco-sensitive zone of the Jhajjar Bachauli Wildlife Sanctuary in Anandpur Sahib.

Sources said commercial activity in this eco-sensitive zone has increased since the government announced an eco-tourism project here. As per the Union Forest Ministry, an eco-sensitive zone is a buffer spread over a 100-m radius around the sanctuary. No commercial activity is allowed here.

Ropar DFO (Wildlife) Kulraj Singh said some cases of construction and commercial illegal activity had come to his notice and that those indulging in it had been served a notice. No commercial or new construction would be allowed here, he added.

Now, the Ropar Wildlife Department has proposed to build an eco-tourism project on the fringes of this sanctuary known for sightings of leopard among other animals such as the sambar deer and wild boar.

The project report mentions a fenced area of 4.9 sq km for development. There would be a three-km-long nature walk, an interpretation centre, watch towers near watering holes for wildlife viewing, elevated decks and board walks. The interpretation centre would host a leopard gallery exhibiting camera trap footage from the sanctuary and would also have an interactive wall showing how the leopard blends into the Shivalik scrub forest area.

The walk would have panels of the species found in the area: jungle cat, sambar, wild boar, porcupine, Indian hare, mongoose and birds. The project would also house native trees such as babul, kikar and banyan. There would also be a ‘pollinator corner’ where the tourists would be made aware of the ecological role of the bees, butterflies and birds found in the area. Villagers would also be sharing their stories of leopard encounters. However, there will be no residential facilities here as they are deemed illegal.