Zoo revamp may get delayed

Infrastructure and other development works, including for animal display area, at the National Zoological Park will be delayed as the premier zoo has not yet submitted its master plan to the Central Zoo Authority, reports Nivedita Khandekar.

Infrastructure and other development works, including for animal display area, at the National Zoological Park will be delayed as the premier zoo has not yet submitted its master plan to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

HT Image

The park, popularly called Delhi Zoo, was to submit the master plan to CZA by March 31 this year as per the CZA requirement. This means a substantial delay in improvement and infrastructure development, which the zoo has planned as part of its preparation ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2010.

“We have not received the master plan as yet. We have sent reminders to them and also asked not to go ahead with any development plan till the master plan is finalized by us,” CZA sources told HT.

Delhi Zoo — a large zoo with 76 hectares and more than 1200 inhabitants — has ‘Broad taxonomical display of wild animals species of national importance’ as its theme of display. The objectives of the zoo include conservation breeding of Manipur deer, tiger and red jungle fowl, among others.

The master plan is to be worked out for next 20 years and the improvement works would be carried out over next five years.

As per CZA requirements, the master layout plan is a detailed landscape map of the existing zoo site showing existing facilities and infrastructure and also the proposed developmental activities in animal display area and other areas related to up keep of the animals.

Apart from this, it should also include spaces earmarked for visitor circulation routes, service roads, administrative blocks, car parking etc. Last but not the least, it must necessarily have the disaster and crisis management plan, CZA officials added.

Zoo director D N Singh was unavailable for comments.

Earlier, the zoo authorities had carried out various tasks related to the master plan like animal inventory, better designed animal enclosures, focus on utilities like water and electric supply, retrofitting of moats to prevent upward water seepage and appraisal of staff position in view of future improvements.