Punjab to release Gharials in rivers to promote eco-tourism

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today approved release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rives in the state to promote eco-tourism, an official spokesperson said here today.
"To promote eco-tourism in Punjab, government has chalked out a programme for release of Gharials - the last surviving species of the family Gavialidae - in the river Sutlej-Beas with Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as the starting point," Dhirendra Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Wildlife Department said.
Initially 10 Gharials would be released in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of 'Gharial Recovery Action Plan' in the state during September this year, he said, adding that around 100 Gharials will be released in the rivers during a span of two years.

The decision was taken after recommendations of the State Board for Wildlife for releasing the "critically endangered species" in river system of Punjab, the spokesperson said.
Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change had accorded permission for release of Gharial in Harike Wildlife Sanctuary under Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, he said.
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), once found in the Indian Sub Continent in plenty, is now the most endangered large animals, Singh said, adding that in India only 200 breeding adults of Gharials are left.

It has been listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and as "Critically Endangered" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species in 2007, he said.

Historical records reveal that Gharial, one of the three crocodilian species found in India, was present in Indus River system, including Beas and Sutlej rivers, indicating healthy river system, the official said.
Singh said "Gharial is harmless and man-animal conflict is not an issue with it.