Also, a sub-group of experts from the Wildlife Board will be constituted to suggest the names of the State Bird, State Tree, State Flower and State Animal.

Presiding over a meeting of the State Board for Wildlife of Chandigarh, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator General (Retd) S F Rodrigues said he has taken up the formation of the Greater Shivalik National Park, which would be spread over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh, with the Union Minister of Environment and Forests.

A series of gardens will be set up in the city to promote eco-tourism. These include the Children Adventure Park, Garden Centre, Maze Garden and Valley of Animals (Topiary) Greenbelt. A world-class aquarium and a butterfly park will also be set up.

The plan to restructure the Rose Garden in Sector 16 will be implemented in the next few months. It will focus on creating an effective mechanism to popularise roses and inculcate the tradition of ‘flower culture’, among children. A Rose Society will also be set up to have public-private partnerships with environment-friendly societies and concerned individuals in various programmes. Also, it is being proposed that the Rose Garden Nursery be further developed to integrate it with the Rose Garden.

A Children’s Corner may also come up in the Rose Garden, which will be equipped with various tools and activities for children.

Sanjay Kumar, Secretary Finance and Wildlife, said the new designs are being prepared by Dr Satish Narula, Senior Horticulturist of Punjab Agriculture University.

In the meeting, the Administrator also said all technical and economic aspects are being looked into in order to protect the Sukhna Lake and have a better habitat for migratory birds in the Sukhna Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.