Nitish Kumar inaugurates Bihar's first state bird festival 'Kalrav' at Jamui district's Nagi bird sanctuary

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday inaugurated Bihar’s first state bird festival ‘Kalrav’ by lighting the traditional lamp at Nagi bird sanctuary in Jamui district, about 200 km south-east from the state capital.
Though the three-day bird festival began on January 15 (Friday), it was formally inaugurated by the CM on Saturday at a colorful event organized by the state’s environment, forest and climate change department at the famous Nagi bird sanctuary near Nagi dam.
The festival, organized with an aim to create awareness among people about the birds especially migratory birds, ends on January 17.
Spread in an area of 2.1 square kilometers, Nagi bird sanctuary is home to over 133 bird species. There are also a variety of dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the state bird festival, Nitish called upon the new generation to remain alert and aware towards protection of environment. “I never visited this place in the past. I am very glad to see this place which is very beautiful and important in the context of the environment. This sanctuary is a big habitant of different species of birds. Especially in the winter season, a large number of migratory birds arrive here from other countries,” the CM said.
Nitish also said, the state bird festival has been organized for the first time in Bihar. “Henceforth, this festival should be organized every year so that people could be educated and motivated towards protecting the birds,” he said.
The CM also said that he would visit the sanctuary all of a sudden on any day to overview the works being done for development of the bird habitat.
On the occasion, the CM also inaugurated a ‘bird awareness centre’ at the sanctuary. He also inspected a photo gallery on the birds. The CM also viewed, through a telescope, different species of birds at the Nagi dam.
A team of ornithologists who had arrived from different places to observe activities of the birds at the sanctuary, showed a demonstration on a migratory bird named ‘Tiktiki’ before the CM. As part of the demonstration, the CM gave a message about protection of birds by symbolically freeing a ‘Tiktiki’.
The CM also inspected a cottage which was built to mark the first state bird festival. Earlier at the beginning of the public meeting, the CM released a coffee table book on the Nagi-Nakti bird sanctuary.
Deputy CM-cum-environment and forest minister Tarkishore Prasad, water resources, rural works, rural development and parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and the forest’s principal secretary Dipak Kumar Singh also addressed the public meeting.