Times
of India: Chandigarh: Sunday, 19 October 2014.
Even as
Takhani Rehmapur Wildlife Sanctuary presents a picture of neglect, information
procured under the RTI Act shows that the state government miserably failed to
spend the grant of over Rs 1 crore that it received for the upkeep of the
place. Over the last 15 years, the forest department could spend only Rs 9 lakh
from the funds it received to maintain the place. This, when the sanctuary
doesn't even have enough water drinking sites for the wild animals and birds.
To top it
all, neither the boundary fencing of the wildlife refuge, located around 15 kms
from Hoshiarpur, has been completed in all these years, nor the proposed
pipeline. "Only nine storage places have been developed in the 956 acre
sanctuary, which is home to hundreds of wild animals," said Jai Gopal
Dhiman, a social activist.
"There
is a no toilet for visitors or for the staff in the entire sanctuary. All the
while, the state government has been claiming that it's making major efforts to
attract tourism to the state," he said.
The entrance
of the sanctuary is also in a bad shape. The information procured under the
information act also revealed that department has not paid power bill of over
Rs 61,000 for its tubewell. The staff also lacks safety kits or gumboots and
they have to work without the basic aids and protection even though the
sanctuary has poisonous reptiles.
When
contacted, forest and wildlife minister of Punjab, Chunni Lal Bhagat, said that
he would enquire into the issue as he was not aware of it so far.
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