Pathankot’s Kathlaur Kushlian Wildlife Sanctuary thrown open to tourists

Located along the Amritsar-Jammu bypass in Pathankot district, the sanctuary is spread over 1,867 acres and has a dense forest resembling a closed canopy

PATHANKOT

Pathankot’s Kathlaur Kushlian Wildlife Sanctuary thrown open to tourists

Developed as tourism hotspot at the cost of ₹1.2 crore, Kathlaur Kushlian Wildlife Sanctuary, 25km from Pathankot, was thrown open for the tourists on Thursday by the department of forests and wildlife preservation, Punjab.

Located along the Amritsar-Jammu bypass in Pathankot district, the sanctuary is spread over 1,867 acres and has a dense forest resembling a closed canopy. The sanctuary also features open grasslands and has several water bodies that serve as watering holes for the animals and birds that inhabit the area.

Divisional forest officer, wildlife, Pathankot range, Rajesh Mahajan: “The sanctuary had tourism potential, but we did not allow public to enter. Then Pathankot deputy commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal, who is taking initiative to promote tourism in the district, granted ₹1.2 crore from District Mineral Foundation (DMF) for its development as tourist destination. The development has been executed under the supervision of principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) Rama Kant Mishra.”

“The sanctuary has three zones—eco-sensitive, buffer and core zone. We can only allow people to visit first two zones as per the guidelines as the core zone is a safe home for animals. In the zones thrown open for public, we have provided facilities such as drinking water, washrooms, passage, rain shelters to the visitors and introduced tourist attractions,” he said.

The 5km-long nature trail passing through dense jungle is an attraction for nature lovers. An 11-seater pollution-free and soundless vehicle, also called as golf cart, and 10 cycles have been provided to the visitors to visit the sanctuary as private vehicle is not allowed.

There is an island in the middle of a lake that has fish and ducks and bamboo huts are an added attraction. As cafeteria is also situated on the island, the tourists can enjoy the dishes here, Mahajan said. There are 30-ft tall two watch towers from where the tourists can have a view of the forest and the Ravi. Two activity points have been developed for children.

Mahajan added that nominal entry fee will be charged from visitors and the money collected from them will be spent on the operation of the facilities provided at the sanctuary and maintenance through outsourcing under the supervision of local public committee.

The sanctuary falls in the Bhoa constituency of Pathankot. Local MLA Joginder Pal said: “I make an appeal to the tourists to cooperate with the forest and wildlife department while visiting the sanctuary. They should not bring plastic and make any noise on seeing animals.”

The sanctuary is home to several species of deer, including cheetal, sambar, hog deer and barking deer. There are also several varieties of avifauna that can be seen in the area like the partridge (grey and white), white humped vulture, parakeet, spotted owl, etc. This is home of thousands of national bird peacock.