DW BUREAU / chandigarh Trekking and Jungle safari will soon be started in the Aravalli mountain range in Gurugram district and the concerned officials have been directed to prepare the project. During his visit to Gurugram, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Sh Bhupender Yadav held precise discussion with officers of the Forest and Tourism Department and gave necessary directions to the officials regarding the aforesaid project. The meeting was held at Public Works Rest House in Gurugram. Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister, Manohar Lal directed the officers of the Tourism and Forest Department of Haryana to work on the aforesaid project in a planned manner by preparing SPV. The Chief Minister directed that a committee should be constituted to develop a world class Jungle Safari, in which the Deputy Commissioners of Gurugram and Nuh and concerned Panchayat Development Officers should also be included besides the officials of the Tourism and Forest Departments. He further directed that the complete blueprint of the project should be prepared and implemented in a phased manner in which the timeline will be fixed for each phase. The Chief Minister said that to start the project of Jungle Safari, suggestions should be sought from world class experts and global tenders should be invited after the project's outline is ready. He said that developing jungle safari will help in preserving this mountain range, while on the other hand a large number of people from Delhi and adjoining areas will visit the place for tourism purposes, which would further create employment opportunities for the local people. Villagers in the surrounding villages will also get benefits under the home stay policy. In this meeting, officials of the Forest Department demonstrated through a powerpoint presentation that the Aravalli mountain range is a cultural heritage where various species of birds, wild animals, butterflies etc. are found. According to a survey conducted a few years back, 180 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, reptiles, 29 species of aquatic animals and 57 species of butterflies exist in the Aravalli mountain range. (editor@dailyworld.in)