The Haryana government is aiming to create jungle safari and trekking routes in the Aravallis in Gurgaon. To convert the hills into a jungle safari, a delegation of the government led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar went to Dubai Wednesday morning on a day’s visit to study the jungle safari park there and replicate it in the district. The proposal to develop a jungle safari and trekking routes was originally mooted by Khattar a few months ago during his meeting with the union minister for environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav. Incidentally, Yadav had also gone to Dubai today to attend the Ministerial Round Table for Green Economy at the World Green Economy Summit at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE. Both Khattar and Yadav are expected to visit the Dubai Jungle Safari park Thursday. Khattar's departure from New Delhi to Dubai, however, got delayed after the bag carrying his passport was left at his residence in Chandigarh. “As a result, the Chief Minister missed his Emirates flight on which he was supposed to travel. The passport was later sent to Delhi, and the CM and his PSO boarded the next Air India flight to Dubai and travelled in economy class. Khattar and the officials have met certain investors in Dubai and had discussions with them about other projects that could be implemented in Haryana,” a senior official told The Indian Express. A senior official said Khattar and the delegation also met investors in Dubai and “had discussions about other projects that could be implemented in Haryana”. Khattar tweeted: “Had a cordial & productive meeting with Mr Sharafuddin Sharaf from Sharaf Group, Dubai. Various issues regarding infrastructure development and investment opportunities in Haryana were discussed during our interaction.” According to sources, the government is aiming to create the jungle safari in about 3,800 hectares of forest land (10,000 acres) in the Aravallis of Gurgaon and Nuh districts, though the exact area is yet to be ascertained. The state's forest department had carried out a survey wherein it was found that more than 180 species of birds, 29 species of aquatic animals, 57 species of butterflies, 15 species of mammals, reptiles and other animals exist in the Aravallis. The government is also aiming to introduce battery-operated vehicles in the safari to facilitate movement inside the compound. Officials added that as there are no national parks in the Aravallis in Haryana, if a jungle safari comes up in the region, it would help protect the critical leopard and wildlife corridor from Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary in Delhi to Sariska wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan. Khattar had earlier said that “the jungle safari would be one of its kind in North India”.
