Efforts are being made to draw both domestic and international pilgrims visiting Ayodhya to the neighbouring Gonda district by improving facilities at the Tikri Forest and Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary

Union Minister of State for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said that improving this area could provide an additional draw for those coming to Ayodhya. "The Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary, encompassing 1,084 hectares, is part of the Ramsar project. This sanctuary is home to Siberian birds and teems with over thirty local species, in addition to migratory birds from Tibet, China, Europe, and Siberia during the winter," he explained, according to PTI.

Singh noted that these foreign birds typically start arriving in the latter half of October and remain for about four months before migrating back. Some undertake journeys exceeding 5,000 km. Among the migratory birds are Eurasian coots, mallards, greylag geese, northern pintails, northern shovelers, cotton teals, red-crested pochards, and gadwalls, he added.

The Parvati-Arga lakes were designated as a bird sanctuary by the government in 1990. The minister also highlighted that the Tikri Forest, covering roughly 7,500 hectares and rich in valuable species like Sal and Teak, is being transformed into an eco-tourism hotspot. Necessary budget allocations for this development will be made shortly.