Shimla, Feb 23,
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that as many as 83,555 migratory birds of 86 species visited the Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary until January 15 this year.
Responding to a supplementary query from Hoshiyar Singh of (Dehra) on Friday, the Chief Minister stated during the question hour that due to the declining number of birds in the Sanctuary area, the union government has ordered to declare the eco-sensitive zones. However, the state government would conduct a predetermination survey of the area. The government would declare it an eco-sensitive area after consulting members of the five assembly constituencies falling within the sanctuary.
Providing figures of visiting birds in the sanctuary area, the Chief Minister said that in the last three years, about 110 species and 110,309 fowls visited in 2021-22, 108 species and 117,022 in 2022-23, and 86 species and 83,555 birds visited in 23-24.
The Chief Minister mentioned that no tigers were found in the Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, and in the last three years from 2021-22, the Forest Department sold tickets worth Rs 881,680, Rs 216,810 in 2022-23, and Rs 236,150 up to 15.01.2024.
Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary witnessed the footfall of 4,956 tourists in 2021-22, 2,198 in 2022-23, and 1,728 up to 15.01.2024.
The Wildlife Sanctuary witnessed the migration of birds from Trans-Himalaya countries in the winter season, and an annual Census of bird estimation is carried out every year in the month of January, the CM informed, adding that mangroves do not exist in Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.
Also read:Migratory birds counts at Pong Dam Ramsar site 108578: Bird Census
The Chief Minister informed that Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary has Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forests and its flora include species like Acacia catechu (Khair), Anogeissus latifolia (Dhau), Lannea coromandelica (Ash tree), Aegle marmelos (Bael), Dalbergia sisoo (Shisham), Ougeinia (Sandan), Bombax ceiba (Simal), Syzygium cumini (Jamun), Mangifera indica (Aam), Bauhinia variegata (Kachnaar), Terminalia tomentosa (Arjun), Terminalia bellirica (Bahera), Terminalia chebula (Harad), Ficus benghalensis (Bargad), Eucalyptus (Safeda), Albizia lebbeck ((Siris), Lannea Sps. (Ash tree), Pinus roxburghii (Chir), Leucaena leucocephala (Lucinia), Mallotus philippensis (Kamala), Dendrocalamus strictus (Baans), and Pyrus pashia (Kainth) etc. The Shrubs & Grasses include Carissa opaca (Garna), Adhatoda vasica (Basuti), Murraya koeniagii (Curry leaf), Zizyphus sps. (Ber), Agave (Rambaan), Rubus sps. (Aakhe), Saccharum munja (Khad Ghaas), Arundinaria Sps. (Nalghaas), and Cynodon (Darub Grass).
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