Uttar Pradesh to give facelift to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to upgrade facilities at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in order to attract more tourists in the coming years.

One gate would be constructed at the junction point of Pilibhit-Basti national highway, the second one would be near Mustafabad forest guest house and the third on the Pilibhit-Mahof forest range road, IANS said in a report.

After repairs of tourist huts at Chuka are completed, UP tourism and PTR officials would finalize 3-4 picturesque sites around the place to develop into tourist destinations with state-of-the-art facilities.

This venture would ensure compliance of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) directives and also help generate revenue. Revenue is now an issue for tiger reserves that have faced closure during lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), which was closed for tourists during lockdown, has incurred considerable losses. During the tourist season, from November to June, DTR attracts a large number of people from across India and abroad. But not this time.

Apart from nearly 100 tigers, elephants, rhinos, five types of deer, the Dudhwa park has 450 bird species, including domestic and migratory, a large number of herbivores, rich flora and fauna, grassland and wetlands.

The tiger reserve will now reopen on November 15.