Haryana

• 23 Jan 2024

Hisar Airport to be Operational by April 2024

Why in News?

Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar, Haryana will be open for commercial operations from April 2024.

Key Points

• The state government held talks with Alliance Air to start flights from Hisar to cities like Chandigarh, Jaipur and Ahmedabad and that the carrier has already obtained necessary licences from DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) for the operations from the airport.
• According to the sources, it will be a greenfield airport conceived in an area over 7,000 acres which will be implemented in three different phases. Phase 1 was already implemented a few years ago.
  • Under phase 2, a runway of 10,000 feet, a terminal building with an annual capacity of 2.1 million passengers and all the related facilities for cargo and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) of the aviation ecosystem were in place.
• In addition to the Hisar airport, the state government has developed five airstrips in Haryana.

Sariska Tiger Roaming in Haryana

Why in News?

A male tiger believed to have strayed from Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan has been spotted in a village near Masani barrage in Rewari, Haryana.

• The tiger is identified as ST-2302.

Key Points

• Forest and wildlife teams from Haryana and Rajasthan are collaboratively tracking the three-year-old tiger.
  • While monitoring the situation, authorities are taking precautions to prevent any untoward incidents in case the tiger ventures into human-inhabited areas.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

• It is located in Aravali hills and forms a part of the Alwar District of Rajasthan.
• Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and was declared the tiger reserve later in 1978, making it a part of India's Project Tiger.
• Kankarwadi fort is located in the centre of the Reserve and it is said that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh at this fort in struggle for succession to the throne.

Note

• Kalesar National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • It is located on the Siwalik foothills. It is contiguous to Rajaji National Park (Uttarakhand) and Simbalbara National Park (Himachal Pradesh).
• Sultanpur National Park:
  • It is a Ramsar Site located 15 km from Gurugram.
  • The park is famous for migratory birds.
• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • It is a human-made freshwater wetland.
• Other Wildlife Sanctuaries of Haryana:
  • Morni Hills (Khol-Hi-Raitan) Wildlife Sanctuary & Bir Shikargarh Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Shivalik hills.
  • Chhilchhila Lake Wildlife Sanctuary (Seonthi Reserve Forest) in Kurukshetra district.
  • Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar district.