Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in news?

• An expert panel to study a proposal made by the South MCD for dumping “inert material” in Bhatti mines at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary has been made.

About Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary covers a 32.71 km2 area on the Southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli hill range on Delhi-Haryana border.
• It lies in Southern Delhi as well as northern parts of Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana state.
• Biodiversity significance of Ridge lies in its merger with Indo-Gangetic plains, as it is the part of the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor, an important wildlife corridor which starts from the Sariska National Park in Rajasthan and ends at Delhi Ridge.
• This protected area contains one of the last surviving remnants of Delhi Ridge hill range and its semi-arid forest habitat and its dependent wildlife.
• Historical place around sanctuary are Surajkund and Anangpur Dam (both in Haryana), Tughlaqabad Fort and Adilabad ruins (both in Delhi), Chhatarpur Temple (in Delhi)
• There are several dozen lakes formed in the abandoned open pit mines in and around the sanctuary.
• Endangered species in the sanctuary include red-headed vulture and egyptian vulture.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary:
1.It is part of the Northern Aravalli wildlife corridor.
2.It is the only evergreen rain forest patch in northern India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question