With 15K winged visitors , 850-acre Keshopur wetland springs to life
Ravi Dhaliwal
Gurdaspur, November 2
The 850-acre Keshopur wetland is teeming with avian activity with nearly 15,000 birds making the area their abode in the last few days. This count is expected to peak in December when the total number of winged visitors is expected to be anything between 23,000 and 25,000.
DC Himanshu Aggarwal says funds and labour have been pulled out of the MGNREGA scheme to make the area more tourist-friendly. “We have received a grant of Rs 39 lakh from the state government. We are back on the drawing board to ensure eco-tourists have a decent outing,” he said.
There are apprehensions among ornithologists that the roads leading to one of Asia’s biggest bird sanctuaries were in a pathetic condition following encroachments. “At some places the roads have become too narrow to drive your vehicle. The sign boards, too, are missing,” said a Delhi-based wildlife photographer Himmat Singh, who has been coming here every year.
DFO Paramjit Singh Randhawa said the main attraction for this year were the four pairs of Sarus cranes. “ Two years ago, we were left with just one pair. Now, these cranes have made Keshopur their permanent address,” he said.
