11,000-acre forest in Kurukshetra may be turned into wildlife and bird sanctuary

Kirmach, who had inspected the forested land to be developed along with some officers on Saturday, said, “We are going to propose making it into a habitat for endangered birds and keep deer, elephants, bear and other species of wildlife on the banks of Saraswati river and develop it as a tourist destination."

Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board’s vice chairman, Dhuman Singh Kirmach, on Sunday said that the board has plans to propose developing a forest area, spread over 11,000 acres, in Seonsar village near Pehowa in Kurukshetra district as a wildlife and bird sanctuary.

Kirmach, who had inspected the forested land to be developed along with some officers on Saturday, said, “We are going to propose making it into a habitat for endangered birds and keep deer, elephants, bear and other species of wildlife on the banks of Saraswati river and develop it as a tourist destination.”

After preparing the blueprint of this scheme, the proposal will be placed before Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, and the state Forest Minister,
Kanwar Pal Gurjar, for final approval.

Kirmach further said, “It is fortunate that Haryana can have a magnificent and beautiful forest spread over 11,000 acres of land in village Seonsar. Apart from being a tourist destination, this forest can be developed as a wildlife and bird sanctuary. The plan to keep endangered birds in this forest has been discussed. It is believed that this forest must have developed because of its location on the banks of River Saraswati. Therefore, it has been considered to maintain and further develop this ancient natural heritage. We hope that there is a flow of tourists to the sanctuary as people from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh frequently visit Pehowa’s pilgrimage site.”

He said that the forest department has been asked to plant fruit-bearing and shady trees in this forest. “Along with this, first ponds will be built around this forest cover so that water can be transported from these ponds to the forest. With this, the birds and animals living in the forest can also get water to drink,” he added.

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