Omkareshwar National Park to open up on October 1

Bhopal, Aug 12 (UNI) Preparations are on to open up Omkareshwar National Park coming up in thick green forest area around Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar reservoir in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh from October 1.

Besides the park, two sanctuaries and two conservation reserves are also being developed in about 651 sq km area around the reservoir.

This eco-restoration area would be a centre of eco-tourism attraction and would have a scenic beauty with more than 100 islands in the reservoir.

The area had been a treasure trove for hundreds of plant species, bushes and a belt of thousands of elegant Anjan trees, an official release said here today.

Narmada Valley Development Authority Vice-Chairman Uday Kumar Verma visited the park area and reviewed conservation works with officers of Environment wing of the NVDA at Narmada Nagar.

He informed that 40,332 hectare forest area had been submerged in Indira Sagar reservoir.

In order to protect and provide natural habitat to displaced wildlife of submerged area, the NVDA had sought help from the Wildlife Institute of India and the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM).

After extensive studies, the IIFM had proposed eco-restoration and development project report, which was made the basis for working plan for the national park.

Mr Verma said Rs 10.33 crore would be spent this year on various works, including wild life habitat management, construction of interpretation centre at Narmada Nagar, livelihood diversification works in 29 villages around the protected area, development of camping sites and other infrastructure development works.

NVDA Wild Life Protection Incharge Conservator Vinay Kumar Varman informed that the national park would be new habitat of variety of wildlife species like tiger, panther, bison, neelgai, sambhar, chital and chinkara.

The islands would provide natural habitat to thousands of local and migratory birds.

Various measures were being taken to provide safe, natural and favourable atmosphere to wildlife and to attract migratory birds on islands of reservoir.

UNI