Statesman News Service
KALIMPONG, Nov. 7. — Wildlife film festival, seminars and interactions are all set to mark the extended celebrations of the Tourism Week, organised here by the forest department. The two-day programme will be held at the Town Hall here on 14 and 15 November.
Stressing that the main focus will be on spreading environmental awareness and the importance of wildlife conservation, eco-tourism and joint forest management, conservator of forest (CF), wildlife circle, Mr PT Bhutia, said the affair is being jointly organised by Wildlife-II Division, West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC), Kalimpong, and Kalimpong Soil Conservation with the help from a few prominent NGOs.
“We have especially called upon school students for discussion and interactions,” Mr Bhutia said. For this the the department has already placed formal invitations to schools. Documentaries, mainly the 30-minute Treasures of Gorumara National Park, Maitri Vandhan (shot on forests of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and Dooars) and one of eco-tourism comprising wildlife information about North Bengal and other regions will be at display during the film festival.
“The documentaries shown will be informative for the attendants as they will serve as first hand information about the region, which has huge prospects to grow as a popular wildlife zone,” Mr Bhutia said informing that lectures, open forum discussions and competitions for school kids will also be conducted. A slide show of the Neora Valley National Park will also be projected. Such a programme is being held for the first time in Kalimpong.