Bahawalpur Zoo, Lal Suhanra Park to be upgraded: governor

LAHORE:Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman said that Bahawalpur Zoo and the Lal Suhanra National Park Bahawalpur would be upgraded and improved.

He said this while talking to a delegation comprising Commissioner Bahawalpur Dr Ehtisham Anwar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Jam Aftab, Head of Archeology Islamia University Bahawalpur and Administrator Auqaf Bahawalpur Ghulam Abbas at Governor’s House on Tuesday.

DG Walled City Kamran Lashari, Secretary Tourism Asif Bilal Lodhi, Dr Khalil Ahmed, Secretary Auqaf Tahir Raza Bukhari, DG Wildlife Mubeen Elahi, Secretary Forest Mudassar Waheed Malik, Principal Secretary to Governor Nabeel Awan and Special Secretary to Governor Umar Saeed were also present on this occasion.

During the meeting, the governor was briefed on Jamia Masjid Al-Sadiq, Bahawalpur Zoo and the remains of ancient civilization Ganveriwala in Cholistan by the officers of the relevant departments. It was decided in the meeting that the excavation work regarding the discovery of Ganveriwala archeology in Cholistan would be started in October. Addressing the meeting, the governor said that the by discovering the ancient heritage and civilization buried in Cholistan more information can be found about the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation. The cities as big as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa could be discovered in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and this will give Pakistan international recognition and also create opportunities for tourism. He said that developing links between universities and archeology departments will give students an opportunity to learn more about the ancient civilizations.

Governor Punjab added that the improvement of trust properties including Jamia Masjid-ul-Sadiq and Bostan-Aziz should be looked after properly. He instructed the officers concerned to increase the funding of Jamia Masjid Al-Sadiq and improve the maintenance of the mosque. Regarding Bahawalpur Zoo, it was decided in the meeting that its old name Sherbagh would be restored.

The governor said that the zoo should be equipped with state of the art facilities. New animals should be brought in the zoo. He further said that the matters related to ticketing, parking and living conditions of animals inside cages should be improved. The improvement of Chowk Fawanra Janazah was also discussed in the meeting.