Two and a half months ago, the opposition corporators had sent back the proposal to extend the maintenance contract stressing that the penguins were proving to be expensive
The zoo was shut in view of the lockdown. File pic
The Standing Committee of the BMC cleared a proposal on Monday for the upkeep of the penguins at the Byculla zoo for three years for Rs 15.26 crore. While the BJP has objected to the high cost of maintenance, the birds continue to be the main attraction at the facility. The footfall on Sunday touched 16,500, more than the pre-Covid levels, said officials.
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Two and a half months ago, the opposition corporators had sent back the proposal to extend the maintenance contract stressing that the penguins were proving to be expensive. However, the civic administration resent it without making any changes. The BJP corporators on Monday raised slogans in the standing committee demanding a discussion on the proposal, but chairman Yashawant Jadhav approved it. Unlike last time, the Congress corporators maintained silence on the proposal.
The Byculla zoo, officially known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, earned Rs 14.46 crore in three years after it brought the penguins. It spent Rs 11.46 crore, nearly 80 per cent of the revenue, on their upkeep in the same period. Ever since the zoo reopened on November 1, about 4,000 people have been visiting the facility on weekdays, though there is a huge surge on weekends. “On Sunday [Nov 28], 16,500 people visited the zoo.
The previous high was 14,000 people last Sunday. The number of visitors is more than the pre-covid era,” said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director of the zoo, adding that they had to shut the gate more than once to control the crowd. Tripathi said the Humboldt penguin and tiger enclosures see the highest number of visitors. Public can visit the facility between 9.30 am and 6 pm, though issuing of tickets for entry will be stopped by 4 pm, unlike 5.15 pm during pre-Covid times.
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