Barely two months to go for the nesting season of Spot Billed or Grey Pelicans (October-April), the much neglected Uppalapadu Birds Protection Centre is decked up with view points, pathways, cafeteria and other infrastructure. Surprisingly, there are reactions from environmentalists about the likely disturbance to the bird-friendly ecosystem.
Gray Pelicans
Uppalapadu Centre is famous for Spot Billed pelicans that migrate from Siberia and Australia each year for nesting and breeding. Besides pelicans, the birds protection centre is also visited by numerous Openbill storks, Spot billed ducks, Black headed ibis, Drters and Little cormorants. As per an estimate, over 7,000 birds visit this place from far off locations and fly back with young ones every year.
Until recently, the birds centre had no facilities and was almost left unattended. It had no proper pathways and was surrounded by bushes. More than bird lovers, it remained a safe haven for love birds (young couples) according to the staff that maintain the centre. Of late, the Forest and Tourism departments together have initiated construction work, such as building roads, elevated viewpoints, and a decent facility for a mini restaurant. A car and two wheeler parking lot is also under construction.
Display boards
In fact, there are several other plans to boost the famous birds centre, according to Guntur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) K. Mohan Rao. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Rao said, “The development activity is jointly funded by the Tourism and Forest departments. Besides cafeteria and view points, we have a plan for interpretation centre here. A huge arch with the centre’s name and display boards from Gannavaram airport to this centre are also a part of the plan. The new facilities will be inaugurated in another month or so.”
Concerns
On the flip side, there are concerns by the environmentalists. The massive construction activity, eateries and height of the buildings in the close vicinity of the birds centre may not go well with the ecosystem, says bird watcher and DFO (Social Forestry) B. Vijay Kumar.
“As I see, the new constructions and developments out there including cafeteria, the flight of the birds, their privacy, especially during nesting are most likely to be obstructed. In addition to that, the availability of food (fish) for the birds in the fresh water tanks here is coming down. In short, I’m not happy about the developments,” said Mr. Vijay Kumar.
