The much-awaited bird park in Powai got its final nod from BMC’s standing committee on Wednesday, albeit with a few objections. The park, which is supposed to be an extension of the Byculla zoo, saw corporators crying hoarse at the meeting, calling it the municipal administration’s attempt to move the garden out of Byculla permanently.
The Byculla zoo, officially known as the Vir Jijamata garden, consists of 31 bird species currently but the zoo’s resources are stretched to capacity. The Powai bird park is therefore meant to ease the pressure on this garden. The 25-acre park will be home to several exotic bird species such as the Japanese crane and African parrot. The Rs 13-lakh project will also be developed as an eco-tourism spot and may have a garden with several amenities. The BMC recently finalised on Universal Organics Pvt Ltd as the consultant for this project. The company is expected to submit a master plan to the BMC within six months including the design, layout and concept to be used for the project. While the committee gave its approval to the park on Wednesday, the opposition raised objections.
“Why do the existing birds need to be moved out of the Byculla zoo? This means the administration will eventually shut down the zoo which is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the city,” said MNS leader Sandip Deshpande.
Additional municipal commissioner SVR Srinivas clarified stating that there is no attempt to move out Mumbai’s iconic Rani Baug. “Birds require larger enclosures. That’s the objective behind the bird park. Byculla zoo will continue to house animals as usual.”
Standing committee chairman Yashodhar Phanse later concluded by saying that the committee will visit the zoo to find out more on the matter.
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