Sultanpur National Park facelift delayed

The proposed revamp of Sultanpur National Park, scheduled for June, has been delayed by more than a month, thanks to the Central Wetland Board which has not yet cleared the funds.

The proposed revamp of Sultanpur National Park, scheduled for June, has been delayed by more than a month, thanks to the Central Wetland Board which has not yet cleared the funds.

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“We were supposed to start with the widening of the visitors’ path in June. Until the funds are cleared by the Central Wetland Board, we cannot go ahead with it,” said Vinod Kumar, wildlife conservator, Gurgaon.

The delay in clearing the funds is because of the change in scheme by the board. Earlier, the entire renovation was to be solely funded by the board, but now Haryana will pay 30% of the amount, while the board pays the rest.

Officials of the wildlife department had asked for a total allocation of Rs 91 lakh; the first part of the facelift was widening of the visitors’ path, for which Rs 45 lakh was needed.

The reason for widening the path that was laid in 1996 is to accommodate battery-run vehicles. The non-pollutant vehicles would be specifically for elderly visitors and children.

Apart from this, the officials had also proposed to widen the lake area by digging an additional 10-acre land. The idea is to increase the lake’s water storage capacity.

As part of the proposed changes, half of the park is likely to remain shut for visitors next year onwards.

“Only bird watchers, photographers and non-pollutant vehicles will be allowed to access the area,” said Kumar.

Earlier, the department had proposed a hike in the entry fee from Rs 5 to Rs 50.

The Sultanpur National Park, located on the Gurgaon-Farukh Nagar Road, is 15km from Gurgaon and around 50km from New Delhi.