Nature trail equipped with natural scenery and facilities
Employment avenues being generated through Skill training to Self Help Groups of Forest Dependent Villages
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
The initiatives being taken by the Mohali Forest Division for environmental protection and promotion of eco-tourism in the Siswan-Mirzapur forest area are receiving enthusiastic support from the people.
Siswan to Mirzapur Nature Trek, which is about 5 km long and takes about 1.5 hours to complete, has become very popular among the people due to natural beauty, lush green forest scenery, beautiful viewpoints and watch towers. Boating facility, well-equipped canteen services and three eco-huts at Siswan Dam are providing a wonderful experience to the tourists. All these facilities are very popular among the people.
Apart from this, more nature trails and trekking routes are being prepared by the division, which will be opened for the public soon. On 25th December, a successful Nature Awareness Camp was organized at Siswan Dam in which first a cycling event and then a trekking program were conducted. It was attended by a large number of people from Chandigarh. Along with this, regular educational visits of school children are also being made to Siswan Nature Awareness Camp to inculcate the spirit of environmental conservation among the new generation.
Mohali Forest Division is continuously promoting conservation of nature, responsible eco-tourism, environmental education and community participation. Apart from this, efforts are also being made to make the people of the villages dependent on forestry, skilled. Under community development, self-help groups of Siswan, Gochar and Nada villages are being given skill training like pickle making, beauty parlour, cloth bag making, tailoring etc., so that new employment opportunities can be created in the villages. In a community service initiative, the Forest Committee of Siswan village recently distributed utensils.