Walkers heave a sigh of relief as parks open; hundreds turn up at Patna zoo

Fitness enthusiasts in capital city Patna heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday as they came out for walks, jogging and exercise at their familiar parks and zoo after a hiatus of nearly two months

Fitness enthusiasts in capital city Patna heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday as they came out for walks, jogging and exercise at their familiar parks and zoo after a hiatus of nearly two months.

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Hundreds of morning walkers and joggers also thronged Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, commonly known as Patna zoo, in compliance with Covid-19 safety protocol, officials said. At present, only botanical garden of the biological has been opened to visitors.

The state government recently on Monday allowed reopening of city parks and zoo from 6am to 12pm on a daily basis under unlock 3.0 guidelines.

Satyajeet Kumar, director of Patna zoo, said all precautionary measures were taken as per Covid-19 protocol.“Around 700 people visited the zoo on Wednesday. All visitors went through thermal screening and sanitisation at the entrance gate. Only botanical garden has been opened at present, while zoological area is still closed for visitors for safety reasons. Other facilities such as boating, cafeteria, 3D theatre are still not accessible.”

“Wearing face mask is mandatory for visitors. A disinfectant tunnel has been set up at the entrance gate for complete sanitisation,” the zoo director said.

Meanwhile, a majority of city parks such as Veer Kunwar Singh Azadi Park, Children’s Park, Energy Park and Eco Park also returned to normalcy, as people were seen walking and practising Yoga. Rajbanshi Nagar-based Navin Sinha Park welcomed visitors with roses on the reopening day.

In order to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 protocol, forest guards have been deployed at all parks across the city, while officials concerned have been instructed to regulate crowd, said principal secretary (environment) Dipak Kumar Singh. As per forest division, which runs all the 72 parks in Patna, around 3,500 to 4,000 people visited parks on Wednesday.

Divya Singh, a college student who lives near Shivpuri, said, “I am glad to visit the park now. I used to walk on the terrace when parks were closed. Lockdown has affected my physical and mental wellness.”

The Patna zoo and other city parks were closed since May 5.