Boat ride facility resumes in Shivvaram crocodile sanctuary

The boating facility has been resumed in the crocodile sanctuary at Shivvaram village in Jaipur mandal, cheering nature lovers and tourists.

Mancherial: The boating facility has been resumed in the crocodile sanctuary at Shivvaram village in Jaipur mandal, cheering nature lovers and tourists.

Established for conserving freshwater or marsh crocodiles in 1978, the sanctuary is a major tourist spot of the district. It is operated by the State Forest department. Proposals to develop the place, which were formulated long back, have now been revived and the boating facility too was resumed recently.

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“Work on facelifting the sanctuary began in summer. The boat ride facility was resumed a few weeks back. Life jackets were arranged at the spot. Jetty and other structures were repaired. A trek path was developed for providing a guided tour in the sanctuary. Interactive sign boards are going to be displayed for the convenience of tourists,” District Forest Officer Shiv Aasheesh Singh told ‘Telangana Today.’

The district forest officer further said that the mechanised boat ride facility would formally be launched following creation of some more basic amenities in a week or ten days. A gazebo would be constructed at a watch tower located at the highest point in the sanctuary. Nature aficionados and tourists can take the ride in the evenings. The fare would be nominal, he said.

According to officials of the department, about five crocodiles were sighted in the river, following availability of water throughout a calendar year and abundance of fish species. The crocodiles bask on vast sand stretches found in the riverbed. Rock formations of the both banks of the spot are a safe haven for the crocodiles.

The authorities of the forest said that a census of the reptiles would be carried out in the near future. Somewhere between 50 and 60 crocodiles used to inhabit the sanctuary in the past.

How to reach

One can easily reach the sanctuary from Mancherial town by taking the Indaram-Shivvaram route, which has a double lane road till Pounoor. Else, visitors can take Chennur-Asnad-Somanpalli stretch to find the village. It is situated around 40 km from Mancherial district centre.