Tuesday, May 24, 2016

CM clears site plan for Nature-cum-Monument at village sitogunno in Fazilka district

  • UNIQUE PROJECT A REAL TRIBUTE TO NATURE LOVER AMRITA DEVI AND BISHNOI COMMUNITY
  • 363 JAND TREES TO BE PLANTED IN NAME OF EACH BISHNOI WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE FOR THIS NOBLE CAUSE
  • 363 ft. TALL MINARET TO ALSO BE INSTALLED IN THE NATURE PARK
Chandigarh, May 24: The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today approved the site plan of the nature park-cum-monument to come up over an area of five acres in village Sitogunno (Abohar) in district Fazilka in the fond memory of legendary nature lover Amrita Devi Bishnoi and 363 other residents from Bishnoi community.

Presiding over a meeting to develop the nature park-cum-monument, the Chief Minister asked the Financial Commissioner (Forests) to complete the entire project within four months. The Chief Minister also decided to plant 363 Jand trees also known as Khejri (Prosopis Cineraria) in the upcoming nature park with the inscription of their names on each tree to eulogize the supreme sacrifice of Bishnoi community for saving trees. He also gave a nod to install 363 ft. tall minaret (minar) in memory of these passionate lovers of nature.

It may be recalled that the nature lover Amrita Devi Bishnoi sacrificed her life along with her three daughters' viz. Asu, Ratni and Bhagu in the year 1730 to save green tress being felled by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at a place known as Khejarli in Marwar, Rajasthan, where all the 363 persons laid down their lives in order to protect trees.

The Chief Minister also directed the Technical Advisor Lt. Gen. (retd.) BS Dhaliwal, to visit the site along with the officials of Departments of Architecture and Forests, to chalk out the modalities for execution of this prestigious project within the stipulated time frame.

Briefing the Chief Minister about the project, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said that the village panchayats of Sitogunno would soon transfer the requisite land for this purpose to the Forest Department to initiate the project forthwith. He also informed Mr. Badal that the department had already obtained the list of the members of bishnoi community, who sacrificed their lives for this noble cause so as to enable us to inscribe their names on the plates to be fixed along with the planting of jand saplings.

Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Financial Commissioner Forests Mr. Viswajeet Khanna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mr. Kuldeep Kumar, Joint Additional Principal Secretary to CM Mr. Kumar Amit, Technical Advisor to Punjab Government Lt. Gen (retd.) BS Dhaliwal and Senior Architect (East) Mrs. Abha J Sharma.

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