Forest dept, dist administration plan to use mutt premises as a captive habitat for blackbucks
Post News Network
Puri, Oct 11: The vacated mutt premises of self-styled godman Banababa near Balukhand sanctuary in Puri district will now be used as a captive habitat for blackbucks.
According to officials of Puri wildlife division, the state government has approved a proposal in this regard. The forest department had acquired the mutt, which was illegally built on a 19.6-acre plot of land near the sanctuary.
“We will bring a few blackbucks from Balipadar area near Aska in Ganjam district and keep them on the mutt premises. We will try to provide them a natural habitat here,” said Puri divisional forest officer (DFO) Chittaranjan Mishra at a programme organised to celebrate Wildlife Week at the district level Friday. Sources said no blackbuck could be found in the sanctuary after the Super Cyclone of 1999.
Participating in the event, district collector Aravind Agarwal reiterated the administration’s commitment to raise the green coverage in the district. “This year the administration has undertaken plantation activities on 50 hectares of forest land and along the sides of 125 km of roads in the district. Besides, 12,500 saplings have been planted in the urban areas of the district,” Agarwal said.
District administration sources said a few land mafias have illegally acquired 200 acres of the sanctuary by submitting forged documents. “We have so far identified 53 acres illegally acquired by the land mafias. Steps are being taken to reclaim this land,” said Agarwal.
The district administration also mulls setting up a full-fledged zoo on the premises of Banababa’s mutt. “The holy city, despite being an important tourist destination, does not have a zoo. We will soon submit a proposal to the state government for the establishment of a zoo on the mutt premises,” said the collector.
