Dear Editor,
The bird watchers’ paradise, Gharana Wetland, situated on the Indo-Pak border in RS Pura, continues to face existential threat from encroachment, pollution and official apathy. About 97.17 Kanals in area was a host to over 20,000 migratory birds, some of them being rare species, coming from different countries every winter.
The area has shrunk to merely 15 Kanals, due to encroachment. Sewage, fertilisers etc continue to pollute it. Also,the incidents of villagers resorting to poaching and bursting firecrackers to scare away the birds, who allegedly destroy their crops, have shown a decline in the number of these birds.
A ray of hope appeared when the Division Bench of State High Court took notice of the issue and ordered demarcation and fencing of this land, but it hasn’t served its purpose so far. The infrastructure required for developing it as a tourism destination is probably a distant dream.
The combined efforts of government and people are needed to revive and preserve Gharana to its original glory in time, lest the winged visitors will have to find an alternative for their annual migration.
Harry Walia
Jammu
