Environmentalists join hands against Byculla Zoo makeover

Eight environmental organisations came together on Thursday to protest against the imminent Byculla Zoo makeover plan which they fear will spell a death-knell to its thriving botanical garden. The organisations include the Bombay Natural History Society,Citispace,Oval Trust,Sanctuary Asia,Save Rani Baug Botanical Gardan Action Committee,Urban Design Research Institute,World Wildlife Fund India,Aawaz Foundation and Clean Air. The garden is home to 3,170 trees of 226 species,of which at least 952 are rare trees,according to the BMC’s Gardens Department itself. The BMC has been maintaining that the zoo makeover will comply with all the orders that the Central Zoo Authority had specified while approving the master plan and that no tree will be felled,removed or transplanted.

The CZA had last year approved the master plan ‘in principle’ but stated that any further change or realignment should get fresh approvals.