Green move: Electric vehicle to ferry tourists to Pong
WILDLIFE WING OF HIMACHAL PRADESH FOREST DEPARTMENT IS INTRODUCING ELECTRIC VEHICLE TO FACILITATE TOURISTS FROM TODAY
DHARAMSHALA : To boost tourism activities in the Pong Wetland as well as preserve the local environment, wildlife wing of Himachal Pradesh forest department is introducing electric-vehicle to facilitate tourists. Besides, the Pong Lake Biodiversity Conservation Society under the aegis of the department will also provide bicycles to tourist.
Hamirpur divisional forest officer (DFO) Krishan Kumar said the facility will start from Monday. “This will give a fillip to the tourism activities besides effective implementation of wildlife laws,” said Kumar.
Tourists visiting the Pong area will have to park their vehicle at Nagrota Surian, from where they will be taken around the Pong Lake in an eight-seater electric vehicle. Department has also purchased 15 bicycles and 10 gear bicycles which tourists can hire on hourly basis.
Apart from it, a motor-boat will also be provided for tourists who want to visit the small islands in the lake.
Pong Wetland, which also is an international Ramsar Site, attracts migratory birds from Trans-himalayas, Siberia and Central Asia in winters.
Currently, around 60,000 birds of more than 50 species are nesting and roosting at the wetland. Hundreds of tourists and ornithologists flock to the Pong area for bird watching during these days. Meanwhile, Kumar told that to ensure safety of the feathered guests, the department has also provided all-terrain vehicles to its staff.