Campsite at Okhla sanctuary to be ready by June end: DFO

Noida: Despite

protests

by environmental groups, the

forest department

of

Gautam Budh Nagar

has almost completed the construction work of a

campsite

in the

Okhla Bird sanctuary

. According to the forest department, the site should be ready by June 30.

The campsite, being constructed closer to the Noida side of the bird park, is expected to make the sanctuary an attraction for

wildlife lovers

. It is also expected to

generate revenue

for the forest department. The campsite is one of the few additions that the forest department has made to the bird park over the past one year to develop

eco-tourism

.

Some of the other additions are a boardroom, a canteen, an office, seating arrangements and gazebos for visitors. Construction work for the campsite, a paid facility, had started in March.

GB Nagar district forest officer (DFO), said, “We have asked the contractor to complete work by June 30. We have not decided on the charges yet, but the idea is to promote eco-tourism. The campsite is being developed as an Uttar Pradesh forest corporation initiative. We are yet to finalise details on bookings. The work was delayed owing to Covid restrictions. Once it is up and running, we will be providing full security for the visitors,”

Meanwhile,

environmentalists

said that they are concerned with the long-term health of the ecology of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

“The sanctuary is under tremendous pressure from various sources of disturbance and needs additional protection. Concrete construction inside a sanctuary should not be allowed and we consider it a violation of environmental laws,” Vikrant Tongad, Noida-based environmentalist, said.