State Wild Life Crime Control Unit to be constituted soon: HP Chief Minister

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Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh said the state government was making all-out efforts for preservation and conservation of wild life in the state and it was a matter of great contentment that the efforts of Himachal Pradesh for preservation of wild life had been recognized at the national level.
He was presiding over the meeting of State Board for Wild Life held here. He stressed that separate passages should be constructed for movement of  wild life in the sanctuaries and National Parks, where  new roads were being constructed.
He said Himachal was the largest habitat of snow leopard in the country next to Kashmir to protect  snow leopard. The state government had taken matter with Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Banglore for undertaking snow leopard survey in the State during the current financial year. NCF has already taken up the survey  work in Spiti under the project.
Shri Virbhadra Singh said keeping in view the incidents of killing of wild life, the state government would soon set up State Wild Life Crime Control Unit which would go a long a way in checking crime against the wild life. The Unit would be jointly managed by the Police and Forest departments.
He said a sum of Rs. 8.85 crore had been spent on different activities by the state Tourism department in Ramsar Site Pong Dam in Kangra district for the development of tourism activities and it was being further strengthened so that more facilities could be made available at this international wetland.
Chief Minister also directed to hold meeting of the State Board for Wild Life once or twice a year to ensure proper monitoring of different activities and on-going projects.
Chief Secretary Shri V.C Pharka directed the departments concerned to issue advisory to the tourists especially trekkers before they move to some specific place so as to ensure their safety.
It was informed in the meeting that proposal for felling of trees, widening and metalling of Bathri-Sundla-Langera-Jammu and Kashmir boundary
road in Gamgul Siyabehi wildlife sanctuary in Chamba district had been submitted for National Board of Wild Life.
Members of the Board Shri Chander Kumar and Dr. M.K Ranjit Singh, Vice Chairman HP State Forest Corporation Shri Kewal Singh Pathania, non-official members of the Board, Additional Chief Secretary(Forests) Shri Tarun Kapoor, Managing Director HPTDC Shri Dinesh Malhotra, PCCF Shri S.S Negi and Shri S.K Sharma and other senior officers of various departments attended the meeting.