Panchkula, Sept. 16 -- The Haryana forest and wildlife department has initiated the process of constructing reinforced cement concrete (RCC) boundary pillars at a cost of Rs.61.08 lakh to protect the eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) adjoining wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Panchkula, Yamunanagar, and Kurukshetra. According to officials, theRCC boundary pillars will be installed in Kalesar National Park and Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary (Yamunanagar), Khol Hai Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary (Panchkula), Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary (Panchkula), Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary (Haryana side, Panchkula), and Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary (Kurukshetra). A tender for the project has been floated and will be opened on September 17. The pillars will be permanent in nature. A senior officer said the aim of installing these pillars is to ensure strict protection of wildlife habitats, prevent encroachments, regulate permissible activities, provide physical identification of ESZ boundaries, ensure compliance with ESZ notifications of the respective protected areas, and harmonise conservation with community interests. As per details, as many as 1,855 pillars will be set up: 425 at Kalesar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, 635 at Khol Hai Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, 750 at Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary, 30 at Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary, and 15 at Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary (Haryana side). Earlier this year, the Haryana forest and wildlife department initiated the preparation of a zonal master plan (ZMP) for the ESZ around three major sanctuaries in Panchkula district. The ESZ around Khol Hai Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary covers about 1,320 hectares, Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary spans 1,131 hectares, and the ESZ for the Haryana side of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is 24.60 sq km. Bir Shikargah Sanctuary, situated about 400m above sea level, forms part of the Shivalik Hills and Ghaggar River catchment, and is surrounded by villages and forest areas. The proposed ESZ around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary includes villages of Prempura, Sokhomajri, Damala, Lohgarh, Manakpur Thakardas, Surajpur, Chandimandir Kotla, Darra Kharauni, Rampur, Saketri, and Mahadevpur....