Chandigarh, June 7 -- In a major push to eco-tourism and wildlife conservation, the Punjab forest department has prepared a Rs.5.36-crore development plan for the Jhajjar-Bachauli Wildlife Sanctuary in Rupnagar district. Renamed the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Wildlife Sanctuary in January, the site is poised to become the state's first major leopard tourism destination despite being among the smallest of the state's 13 wildlife sanctuaries. According to estimates prepared by the wildlife department, the project will have a suite of eco-friendly facilities. These include a dedicated leopard safari, a nature interpretation centre, watch towers, walking trails, elevated decks, gazebos, wildlife viewing points, chain-link fencing, solar lighting, and battery-operated vehicles for visitors. A total of Rs.2 crore has been earmarked for the 2026-27 financial year to fund the first phase of development. Officials confirmed that the proposal has been forwarded to the state government and is expected to receive formal approval within a fortnight. Once cleared, construction work on the initial phase is slated to begin within a month. Located 15km from Anandpur Sahib in the ecologically sensitive Shivalik foothills, the sanctuary spans nearly 289 acres across three villages: Jhajjar (218 acres), Bachauli (55 acres), and Lamlehri (16 acres). The site was originally notified as a protected wildlife area in 1998 under Section 18 (1) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The sanctuary is highly regarded for its dense forest cover and rich biodiversity. It serves as a vital habitat for leopards, sambar, barking deer, jackals, wild boars, pythons and numerous bird species. Wildlife officials noted that the area has increasingly become a critical corridor for migratory leopards moving through the Shivalik forest belt. However, pinpointing the exact number of leopards in the state remains a challenge. A senior wildlife department official, requesting anonymity, said that there is no separate official estimate of Punjab's leopard population in the national wildlife census. The national leopard census, conducted jointly by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), categorises leopard numbers according to broader wildlife landscapes rather than individual states. Punjab falls within the Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains landscape, which is estimated to support around 1,109 leopards. While leopards are well-documented residents of Punjab's Shivalik forest belt, no precise, state-specific population figure has been officially released. To address the challenges of establishing a predator safari in a populated region, the officer said comprehensive guidelines have been prepared under the project to minimise and prevent human-wildlife conflict. Punjab education minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Singh Bains said that the project will mark the first time visitors can witness leopards and other wildlife in their natural habitat within a Punjab sanctuary. He added that the initiative is expected to boost tourism in the Anandpur Sahib region and generate local employment through eco-tourism services. Project planners emphasised that the infrastructure is designed to prioritise sustainable tourism and ecological conservation, minimizing human interference in wildlife habitats while actively promoting biodiversity awareness. The renaming of the sanctuary was approved earlier this year by the standing committee of the Punjab State Board for Wildlife. The new title honours the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, commemorating his 350th martyrdom anniversary, which was observed last year at Anandpur Sahib....