Bishnoi monument gets Punjab govt nod

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Monday approved the upcoming nature park-cum-monument to be developed near Abohar in Fazilka district in the memory of legendary nature lover Amrita Devi Bishnoi and other residents from the Bishnoi community.

Meeting a delegation of Bishnoi community led by its President of All India Wildlife Protection Bishnoi Society, Sahab Ram Bishnoi, Badal gave a nod to the layout plan prepared by the state architecture department, which would include a 30-foot-3-inch-high flame in the shape of trunk of a tree to symbolise the passion of Bishnoi’s community for the trees, said an official release.

Besides, a water body and statue of legendary tree lover Amrita Devi, who laid down her life along with her three daughters way back in 1730 to save green trees being cut by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at a place known as Khejarli in Marwar, Rajasthan, where all the 363 persons were killed for the sake of protecting trees from being axed.

Chief architect Sapna apprised the CM that one inch represented each martyr thus the total height of the flame depicted the sacrifice of 363 martyrs who were brutally killed by the then emperor for their protest against the felling of trees. She also told the chief minister a brief history of this entire episode along with the details of the martyrs would be written on the walls of main entrance leading to the nature park-cum-monument. Badal said that this prestigious project must be completed within six months.

Earlier, the Bishnoi delegation honoured the CM with a title of ‘friend of trees (Varaksh Mittar) with siropas, a memento and a painting of Amrita Devi for taking keen interest for the construction of park-cum-monument to eulogise the supreme sacrifice of the Bishnoi community as a protector of trees and wildlife. Expressing gratitude to Badal, the Bishnoi community lauded the chief minister’s endeavour to inculcate a spirit to keep our environment clean, green and pollution free. The delegation said that their community would be ever indebted to Badal for this benevolent gesture for making concerted efforts to transform their long cherished dream into a reality. Responding to their another demand, the chief minister asked the financial commissioner, forests & wildlife, to include requisite representatives from the Bishnoi community on the State Board for Wildlife as non-official members.