Gharana Wetland

Revenue deptt hindering its development as tourist spot

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 11: With Revenue Department not handing over the possession of Gharana Wetland to the Department of Wild Life Protection (DWLP), plans of government to make it a tourist destination have fell flat.

Most of the ambitious plans formulated by the administration could not be taken up, because the revenue department is not allowing the Wildlife department to carry on the work.

Talking to TNI, Regional Conservator, DWLP, Upinder Pachnanda said that the state government has notified the Gharana Wetland Reserve to our department, but the revenue department is not handing over its possession to them.

Officials said that there was plan to develop the Gharana Wetland to attract thousands of pilgrims who visit the state and save the birds who visit the spot every winter from far off places like Europe and Siberia.

The state government planned to launch eco-tourism in the wildlife protected areas including sanctuaries and wetlands has been grounded with the Wildlife authorities maintaining that human interference will disturb the wild animals and their habitat.

Places selected for development of eco-tourism in the state included Shalabugh, Hokersar Wetland Conservation Reserve, Surinsar, Gharana and Mansar wetlands, Asia’s largest freshwater lake Wular, famous hill-station Gulmarg, besides Aru, Thajawas, Trikuta, Ramnagar, Jasrota and Nandini Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Not only this unchecked encroachment by locals in the area has reduced the size of wetland to almost half of its original size of 0.75 sq km.

“On official records, this wetland is spread on an area of 0.75 sq km, but encroachment by the local farmers have reduced this wetland to less than half the size that it used to be a couple of years ago,” says a senior wildlife guard at the wetland reserve.

Environmentalists, too, warn that wetlands in the state are rapidly shrinking due to official apathy and rampant encroachment, endangering thousands of animals and migratory birds.

A senior wildlife officer admits that there has been a widespread encroachment in the Gharana Wetland Reserve and the government is taking steps to retrieve encroached land from the locals.

According to wildlife experts, shrinking wetlands have also affected the behaviour of water birds. The number of birds, who used to throng this wetland in the past, has gone down because of shallow water.

The experts say for the past few years they have observed that the migratory birds that visit this wetland vie for space.