The festival of ‘Migratory Birds’ was celebrated at Keshopur Chhamb in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on Monday. Punjab Cultural Affairs and Tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said the state is the favourite spot of migratory birds which is amply proved by the converging of around 30,000 birds at Keshopur Chhamb and more than 70,000 at Harike Pattan.

He said there are many wetlands around the world which receive fewer migratory birds than Punjab but have been popularised as centres of tourist excellence. The minister stressed on tapping the immense tourism potential of the state by the department.

Sidhu said historical, religious and cultural circuits are coming up in Punjab to bolster the tourism sector on the one hand while on the other a ‘Wetland Circuit’ would be formed for bird lovers for which all the wetlands would be made attractive from tourism point of view. He said tour operators as well as tourists would be connected with the circuit and every facility would be provided to the tourists at these wetlands.

The minister announced that next year a ‘World Photography Contest’ would be held at the wetlands for which eminent photographers from the Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet channels would be invited. He also said eco-friendly towers would be installed at Keshopur Chhamb for wildlife photographers and bird lovers which would not harm the birds in any way and photography of the migratory birds would also be possible. Sidhu said by next year, tented accommodation would be made available for the tourists. He said the intention behind this initiative is to make the wetlands a resting and stoppage spot for tourists headed to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister also inaugurated the interpretation centre for tourists at Keshopur Chhamb constructed at a cost of Rs 5 crore. This centre would disseminate all information to tourists.
He also announced Rs 3 crore for the approach road to Keshopur Chhamb. The minister said Punjab is the second state after Manipur to implement a cultural policy and now efforts are on in full swing to frame a tourism policy.