Uttarakhand's Khatima to host 'Surai Ecotourism Zone', 'Kakra Crocodile Trail'

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will inaugurate 'Surai Ecotourism Zone' and 'Kakra Crocodile Trail' at Khatima on Wednesday. The 'Surai Ecotourism Zone' will be the first such eco-tourism zone in the state where tourists will be able to enjoy jungle safari. Till now, the jungle safari is only being practised in the national parks and biosphere reserves in the state, as per a press statement from the Uttarakhand government. Also, the 'Kakra Crocodile Trail; the first crocodile trail of the country where tourists will be able to witness the crocodile specie 'Marsh' from close, safely. Both these schemes are in line with the Chief Minister's 'Young Ecopreneur Scheme' under which self-employment opportunities are being created by connecting the economy of the local people of Uttarakhand with forests and wildlife. Under this scheme, the target is to make 1 lakh youth 'ecopreneurs'. Sandeep Kumar, DFO of Terai Eastern Forest Division said that an innovative scheme is being implemented for how to connect the people of Khatima, surrounded by forest area with environmental protection and self-employment. The main objective of this scheme is to help Khatima and surrounding areas, which have been backward from the point of view of tourism, gain a high place in tourism. The Chief Minister's vision is to convert the Surai forest area into an eco-tourism zone by systematically developing the 'Tarai Eastern Forest Division', which has biodiversity and wildlife so that its natural beauty can be used to provide direct and indirect employment to the local people. In this connection, in the past, he had announced to develop Surai and the surrounding forest area of 'Tarai Eastern Forest Division' from the point of view of tourism.