₹50-cr project announced for Harike wetland

HARIKEPATTAN(TARNTARAN): Punjab local bodies and tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announced a world-class eco-friendly project worth ₹ 50 crore for the Harike wetland and wildlife sanctuary here on Monday. It is the largest wetland in north India along the border of Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts.

The minister was on a four-day tour to tourist destinations of Punjab and reached Harike Pattan on Monday along with top brass of the tourism department and local officials.

He said that with this project, the wetland will become a stateof-the-art destination for tourists.

Terming Harike Pattan as a place with great potential, Sidhu said the Bharatpur sanctuary gets 16,000 birds and is highly rated whereas around one lakh rare species, including migratory birds, reach Harike every year and yet, its potential has not been fully explored.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

“We will introduce motorboats, angling, rafting, para sailing and viewing Indus water dolphins on one side and on the other, we will have tented accommodations, tree houses, pedal boats, nature trail and bird watching towers,” he said, adding,

“A floating restaurant will be setup at Rajasthan feeder canal, which fed water from Satluj and Beas rivers,” he added.

The project will also have Shikaras on the lines of Kashmir’s Dal Lake where people can even stay, the minister said. He said that motorboats will only be operational when there are no birds.

“Ensuring a peaceful environment for the migratory birds will be our top priority,” the minister said. The tourism minister also asked the officials of the department to start working on the project so that it could be completed soon. He also said that eminent consultants, including Knight Frank, were being roped in to guide and bring out the best at Harike.

OTHER HISTORICAL PLACES TO BE MADE TOURIST HUBS

CHANDIGARH: “The Punajb tourism department would develop 30 places in the state with historical importance, including Shaheedi Smarak Hussainiwala, and historical gurudwara Saragarhi in Ferozepur, as hubs of tourism,” state tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Monday.

He said that this would generate employment and develop tourism sector in the state.

The government would spend Rs 600 crore for the purpose, he said, while paying homage at the martyrs’ memorial at Hussainiwala at Ferozepur on Monday.