Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Government today proposed setting up a Butterfly Park in Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's constituency Srirangam at a cost of over Rs 8 crore.
"A special scheme has been drawn for establishing a butterfly park on a 10-hectare area in Upper Anaicut Reserve Forest near Srirangam at an outlay of Rs 8.67 crore", Forest Minister K T Patchaimal told the Assembly.
A sum of Rs 1.62 crore has been sanctioned from the 13th Finance Commission grants and Rs 7.05 crore would be sanctioned in 2012-13, he said.
As part of government efforts to prevent man-animal conflict, he said, Rs 10 crore had been allocated for the year to take-up works including anti-poaching measures.
Ms Jayalalithaa had approved a sum of Rs 44.13 crore for four years starting 2012-13 in this regard, he added.
Further, the over 1.41 lakh hectare Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary will be developed as a Tiger Reserve, making it the fourth one in the state after Kalakkad-Mundanthurai, Anamalai and Mudumalai reserves, he said.
Mr Patchaimal said a legislation would be brought to prevent trees in government lands being felled.
In the event of a tree being cut, it would have to be compensated by planting 10 saplings, he said adding a committee would be formed to monitor this.