Dehradun diary
Process to set up first tiger safari starts
Following the Centre’s nod to Uttarakhand’s first tiger safari, the state government has started the process to set up the eco-tourism facility in full swing. For this, two enclosures spread in around 106 hectares near Kotdwar in Corbett landscape will be developed wherein, five tigers will be kept. According to a highly placed TOI source, an amount of Rs 21 crore is being shelled out for this project. Notably, the Central Zoo Authority and the NTCA had given clearance for tiger safari, which aims at a sure-shot display of tigers to the visitors, last year. The two enclosures would have leopards as well as tigers according to forest officials.
1st pine needle-based electricity project in U’khand
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat last week inaugurated the state’s first dry pine needle-based electricity generation project in Uttarkashi district. Inaugurating the 25 KW power generation project at Chakon Dhanari village in Dunda area, Rawat said it would be of great utility as dry pine needles, also called pirul, are a major cause of forest fires in the state. “Generating electricity from dry pine needles or pirul will not just save our forests but also create employment opportunities for the local population,” the chief minister said. He added that with this power generation project, forests and animals will be protected. More than 23 lakh metric tonnes of pine needles are produced in the state annually, from which about 200 megawatts of electricity can be produced.
Human-snake conflict hotspots to be mapped
In a first, Uttarakhand will be mapping human-snake conflict hotspots in Kumaon region. The forest department will conduct a three-year long project to learn more about the different species of snakes found in the region. Under the project named ‘Community based human-snake conflict mitigation in Kumaon Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India’, the department aims to train 750 locals from 250 villages, considered high-risk of the human-snake conflict. As part of the project, three people from each high-risk village will be trained.
Will revive one river in every district: CM
Uttarakhand government has started work to revive one Himalayan river in every district, announced Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He added that the goal is to revive one river in every district. An effort is being made to revive more than 400 water bodies in the area of Garuda Ganga river in Bageshwar district. Many works in the area such as plantation of broad leaf, trenches, check dams are being done. “Mountains, glaciers, rivers, water bodies, forests are all our priceless heritage. In past years, revival work of water bodies in the state has been done on a large scale,” CM said.
vineet upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun
vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com