The 3rd National Chilika Bird Festival was inaugurated on Friday by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Patnaik applauded the efforts of the Odisha Tourism and the Ecotour Odisha for having organised the event.
The three-day programme witnessed participation of 55 selected birders representing nine States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal, besides Odisha. Chief Secretary SK Mohapatra said, “Chilika’s Mangalajodi is a pioneering work in community-led conservation.
It is an unparalleled birding destination." He informed that this year’s census revealed a total count of 11.42 lakh birds across over 190 species to the lake.
Among others, Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha and OTDC Chairperson Shreemayee Mishra spoke.
