Byculla Zoo makeover gets conditional nod

According to Afzalpurkar,the five points raised by the MHCC include: 1) the existing green cover should not be reduced,2) the percentage of green area available to public should not be reduced,3) traditional activities like the existing nursery as well as the fruit and the flower show should continue,4) the axial planning of the garden,which is in Renaissance style should be retained,5) heritage structures like the clock tower,the Bhau Daji Lad museum building should be retained.

The MHCC has also requested a diagram of the small public gallery. Afzalpurkar said,“The BMC has showed us a photograph of how the gallery would be but we’d still like to see an appropriate sketch to get a clearer picture.” Based on the MHCC suggestion,the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will have to carry out minor re-planning before submitting the final map to the Central Zoo Authority,Afzalpurkar said.

R A Rajeev,Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) said that they have already invited tenders for certain portions like the hospital and the administrative buildings. “We will place these tenders before the standing committee soon. As for the enclosures,we will seek a final approval from the CZA,before going ahead,” Rajeev said.

Animal lovers across the city hope that the revamped zoo,built as per CZA standards,will bring some relief to its caged inmates. The makeover proposes to house 273 mammals of 43 species,183 birds of 24 species and 96 reptiles/amphibians of 26 species with an open zoo concept enabling people to watch animals from passageways. However,concerns remain as to how the animals,especially those not native to India,would be maintained.

Subadha Nikhergi,member of the Save Ranibagh Botanical Garden Committee,a group which has been campaigning to save the zoo trees said,“If the MHCC has stated in particular that the trees in the garden should not be destroyed or made inaccessible to the public and the BMC has accepted it,then we have no objection to the makeover.”

Don’t concretise Five Gardens: Heritage committee to civic body
The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) on Thursday advised the BMC to refrain from any concretisation activity in the Rs 6-crore beautification plan of the Five Gardens in Dadar. The committee had directed that parts of the garden which have already been concretised should be immediately restored to their original state. It has also said that granite footpath and amphitheatres are unnecessary features which should not be included in the beautification. ENS