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B R Sharma, member and secretary of CZA, said, “Next month, two of our officials will visit the zoo for field inspection. Once, all our concerns are cleared, the zoo makeover plan will be approved from our side.” Sharma said that the approval process should be completed by November-end.
The plan is a contract between the BMC, Thai-based Malaysian company HKS Designer and Consultant International and the Portico Group.
R A Rajeev, additional municipal commissioner (City), who had earlier said that the plan was held up with the CZA due to internal problems, said, “While everything else seems fine now, the CZA wants to discuss some issues regarding the size of enclosures. Two of their experts will visit the zoo next month to view the site personally and to discuss on having the enclosures as per CZA norms.” Rajeev hoped that the plan will be passed by November-end.
The mega revamp plan, scheduled to take place in three phases and four years, is proposed to have on display more than 90 animal species form three continents — Asia, Africa and Australia. The new zoo will also include a 3-D theatre, a theme park, night safaris, animal rides, car park, gift shop, restaurants among other facilities.
Meanwhile, even before the CZA nod, the zoo makeover plan is facing stiff opposition from environmentalists who fear that the plan would diminish the zoo's rich green cover. Hutokshi Rustomfram, a member of the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Committee, said, “The zoo is a botanical garden first with only 35,000 sq metre of it being for enclosures. Certainly, the BMC is not going to spend its huge budget developing just that area. The swanky new plan is sure to destroy the rare flora found here. We have approached the CZA with our concerns.” Rustomfram said that they will now try and approach the CZA again.
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