Cooch Behar, 28th December: Patlakhawa of the district is all set to become the third habitat of rhinos. State Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who visited the Patlakhawa Vananchal area on Wednesday, said this after a meeting. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha, Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad Chairman Umakant Barman, and members of the local Joint Forest Management Committee were present at the meeting.
The forest department has taken the initiative to bring rhinos within the next year. Patlakhawa forest area is about 15 km away from Cooch Behar where there is Rasmati lake. Earlier, Forest Minister Vinay Krishna Barman had taken the initiative to build grasslands, cottages, and watch towers for rhinos. However, the project stalled midway which is now being resumed.
