INDORE: A state-of-art interpretation centre is all set to come up at Sirpur lake at a budget of Rs 2.5 crore to facilitate study and research on birds and biodiversity. More than 150 species of migratory birds settle at the lake during winters. With its planning and paper work finished, the ambitious project is just a foundation stone away from civil work.

The idea of the centre took shape in 2000 when the area surrounding the lake was declared a wetland by Lake Conservation Authority, Bhopal. Its maintenance and restoration was to be done by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC). After this, the plan and estimate for the Bird Interpretation Centre were made by a group of architects from Bhopal. It took a long time to approve and pass the plan, however, now funds for the project have been procured and the plan approved. It is estimated that the centre will be finished within a year of laying the foundation stone.

With a sprawling campus spread across two acres, the centre would be maintained by Indore's Nature Volunteers group. The group will work along the guidelines of the Bombay Natural History Society. Cleaning of the lake water would also be done as per guidelines, so that the ecological chain remains undisturbed. The centre would also be used to run research activities on various species of birds, to study their habitat, biodiversity, water and wetlands. The centre would also be made available to the DAVV as classroom for courses on environmental and biodiversity related subjects.

"Being one of its kinds in central India, the centre would also host seminars and conferences of national and international level, where intellectuals would be allowed to participate and share their views on how such water bodies can be saved. It would be a platform for members of different agencies and NGOs working for environment conservation," Bhalu Mondhe of The Nature Volunteers said.