The Tamil Nadu government will notify the Nanjarayan lake in Tiruppur as the 17 th bird sanctuary in the State, Minister for Forests K. Ramachandran announced in the Assembly on Monday.
An information centre will also be set up to raise awareness about the bird population in the lake. The centre will also undertake training and research and will come up at a cost of ₹7.5 crore, he said.
The government has also proposed to set up a wildlife sanctuary in Cauvery South, spread over 478 sqkm, abutting the sanctuary in Cauvery North. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared at a cost of ₹5 crore, the Minister.
A DPR will be prepared for setting up another wildlife sanctuary for the endangered Slender Loris in Dindigul and Karur. The species has been named as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he said.
The department will also procure 256 electric two-wheelers at a cost of ₹2.32 crore for use by the field staff.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Siva V. Meyyanathan said the government would create 1,000 mini-forests to increase green cover in the State.
The government will tie-up with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for a Meendum Manjappai express exhibition to create awareness on the use of environmentally friendly materials instead of single-use plastics.
The government and the industries department will devise methodologies to measure how environmentally friendly the industries in the State are and come up with measures to encourage companies to use clean technologies and environmentally friendly products.
