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Nearly 200 crocodiles relocated from lake near Statue of Unity for tourists' safety
As many as 73 rescued crocodiles were released in the Sardar Sarovar reservoir in 2019-2020. The animals rescued from the lake were also transferred to the rescue centres at Godhra in Panchmahal district, and Gandhinagar, according to the official.
Around 194 crocodiles have been relocated from a lake near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Narmada district in the last two years to ensure the safety of tourists, who pay a visit and go for boat rides, news agency PTI has reported. The Panchmuli lake, near the 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia, called the 'Statue of Unity', had a large number of crocodiles that posed a threat to the visitors, according to officials cited by PTI.
"In 2019-20 (October-March), we relocated 143 crocodiles. In 2020-21, another 51 crocodiles were shifted to two rescue centres in Gandhinagar and Godhra," PTI quoted Kevadia range forest officer Vikramsinh Gabhania as saying on Sunday. "Some 60 cages are placed around the lake to trap the crocodiles. The part of the lake where seaplanes (flying between Ahmedabad and Kevadia) land is completely safe," he told PTI.
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The lake, which is also known as 'Dyke-3' of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, was developed for tourists visiting the Statue of Unity. Many of those reptiles still exist in the lake, as per Gabhania. Authorities, therefore, decided to relocate the crocodiles to prevent any unfortunate incident, according to the official, PTI reported.
As many as 73 rescued crocodiles were released in the Sardar Sarovar reservoir in 2019-2020. The animals rescued from the lake were also transferred to the rescue centres at Godhra in Panchmahal district, and Gandhinagar, the official said.
The Gujarat State Forest Development Corporation Ltd (GSFDC) began the boat ride in the Panchmuli lake in 2019. The lake is rich in flora and fauna and surrounded by lush green forests, as part of the eco-tourism activity in the region surrounding the great monument, according to the state tourism department.
The boat ride in the lake is one of the major tourist attractions in the area and records a heavy rush of visitors, especially on weekends, as per a spokesperson of the Statue of Unity, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2018.
