MIANWALI, Nov 22 Despite a ban on the hunting of migratory birds at Chashma reservoirs, some influential people are annihilating rare species of migratory birds.
The official wildlife sanctuaries in this district as per record of the wildlife department are Chashma lake spread over 81,750 acres, Kundian plantation over 19,274 acres, Harnoli plantation over 2,196 acres and a game reserve at Namal lake spread over 12,000 acres.
These sanctuaries receive every year thousands of migratory birds coming from Siberia. Besides migratory birds, the plantation sanctuaries have in abundance white and black partridges, quails, wild bores, jackals, foxes, wolves and rabbits.
Apart from these, there is a well-established private sanctuary called Kalabagh Livestock Farm, spread over 5,000 acres, managed by Nawab family of Kalabagh. It has unique aspect that uryal, a rare specie of deer, is being bred in this protected environment.
Like previous years, influential people are visiting here in groups for hunting migratory birds at Chashma sanctuary without any fear and check. Some VIPs visit here under official security cover and stay at local rest houses.
On last Saturday and Sunday, a hunting party comprising some bureaucrats from Lahore and other influential people visited Chashma sanctuary and killed several birds.
Members of this party were guests of local PML-N MPA Ali Haider Noor Khan who made all arrangements for their pleasure trip.
When contacted, District Wildlife Officer Shahid Nawaz said his game inspector deputed at Chashma lake had confirmed the visit by officials of the Punjab government but said its members did hunting on the eastern side of the Chashma lake, which fell in the limits of Pakhtunkhwa province.
Shahid Nawaz said the Punjab Wildlife Department had official sanctuary at Chashma starting from Chashma Barrage to upstream of Indus river in a radius of two kilometre, which is totally banned for hunting but area from Jinnah Barrage downstream in Indus river is permitted for hunting on Sunday with proper permission from the office and each gun-holder can hunt 10 birds only.
MPA Ali Haider Noor Khan said he did take his friends to the area but no one shot any bird or animal.
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