Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is in Porbandar on October 1 and 2 to open Gujarat’s 25th Sanskrutik Van, a 14-hectare cultural forest near Odadar village built around Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Sarvodaya. The state spent about Rs 20 crore on it, according to IANS and Gujarat First. The opening comes days after the forest department redrew the Porbandar Forest Division to manage Asiatic lions that have settled in the nearby Barda hills.
Taken together, the two decisions give Gandhi’s birthplace something it has lacked: a forest administration sized for wildlife, and a public green space meant to draw visitors beyond the half-day stop at Kirti Mandir.
What is inside the new forest
IANS reports that roughly 1.25 lakh saplings have gone into the site. Its sections follow Gandhian themes: Satya Van, Ahinsa Van, Shanti Van and Sarvodaya Van, plus a Gram Swaraj eco-village, an Ayush herbal garden, a Mission LiFE garden and a patch called Barda Van Kunj that showcases the native flora of the Barda hills. A 1.5-hectare block named Van Kavach carries about 18,000 saplings and a watchtower.
The Sanskrutik Van series began in 2004, when Narendra Modi was chief minister, with Punit Van in Gandhinagar. The state has since used its annual Van Mahotsav to open one themed forest at a time in different districts, often tied to a temple town or a historical figure. Porbandar’s turn, timed to Gandhi Jayanti, fits that pattern. On October 2 the chief minister is scheduled to attend an inter-faith prayer meeting at Kirti Mandir and join the Swachhata Hi Seva cleanliness drive, Gujarat First reported.
Gujarat First puts the value of other projects being inaugurated or started at Odadar on the same trip at about Rs 100 crore. IANS reports that the chief minister will also flag off 89 forest department vehicles worth Rs 11.20 crore.
Lions are the bigger long-term story
Barda’s lions explain the timing of the forest department’s other move. Asiatic lions walked back into the Barda area on their own after an absence of 143 years, as DeshGujarat and PTI via ThePrint both note. For decades, conservationists had named Barda as the most practical second home for a population confined to the Gir landscape. The latest census counted 891 lions in Gujarat, up from 674 in the earlier one, PTI reported. A growing population means more lions moving out of Gir in search of territory.
Under the reorganisation, the Porbandar division now runs seven ranges. The Porbandar range covers 6,840.84 hectares and 80 villages, with beats from Porbandar city to Madhavpur. The Ranavav range covers 13,051.25 hectares and 27 villages. Kutiyana, two social forestry ranges and a mobile squad join the division, and 305.94 hectares in four villages of Bhanvad taluka in Devbhumi Dwarka move over from the Jamnagar division. Two assistant conservators of forests will supervise the expanded set-up, one of them on a post shifted from Kevadia.
What it means for people in the district
- Villages near Barda: more beat staff and a mobile squad mean faster response to livestock kills and lion sightings.
- Tourism: a large themed forest a short drive from the city gives Porbandar an attraction that can hold visitors for a day, alongside Kirti Mandir, the Madhavpur coast and the Barda hills.
- Upkeep: a forest of this size needs watering and staff long after the opening. Porbandar’s coastal, low-rainfall setting will test whether 1.25 lakh saplings survive the first two summers.
What to watch
The forest department has not yet said how many lions now use Barda or whether it plans a formal translocation alongside the natural dispersal. Watch for staffing orders that fill the new posts, for entry fees and visiting hours at the Odadar forest, before the winter tourist season.
Sources: IANS (via Social News XYZ), Gujarat First, DeshGujarat, PTI via ThePrint
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.