Beautification mess has Delhi Zoo in trouble ahead of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference
In the last week of October, the National Zoological Park, or Delhi Zoo, will host the prestigious World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) conference. But just few months ahead of that event, beautification works in the zoo remain incomplete. Even the works that have been completed are falling apart, as Mail Today found out. "This will be first time that
India will host the WAZA conference in Delhi. However, construction works at the zoo are far from being complete," said a senior National Zoological Park (NZP) official. "The birds' cages that were replaced with glass enclosures have cracked weeks after they were put up. Six of the glasses lie cracked, including the one at the library room. The concerned authority is sitting on the matter and not doing anything about it," the official said. "The glass enclosures cost between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh. The one at the library cost `2 lakh. Each of these glasses must be replaced again. We were told that these glasses would be of best quality, like the bullet-proof ones. There is no explanation as to why these glasses cracked. A similar glass was put up in the white tiger's cage, so that visitors could watch it from a closer distance. Even that broke after the tiger hit it with its paw," the official added.
Besides the beautification, construction of pathways, signboards and counters are on the list of works undertaken by the zoo. But here, too, things are not encouraging.
Mail Today found that the sign posts put up at the zoo are shrinking in the heat; the lamination is peeling off due to rain. Even the tiles of the newly built pathways seemed to be coming off. "The concrete base below these tiles is missing. The contractors have just placed them on loose sand. A few more days of rain and the entire pathway will fall apart," the official said.
Sources point their fingers at the Central Construction Unit (CCU). This independent agency was entrusted with the maintenance of the zoo. "Once money is sanctioned for a task, it is the duty of CCU to monitor, supervise and ensure that all work is done properly. However, no work has been up to the mark and none of the promises made to us were delivered," the senior NZP official said.
"We have raised the issue of sign posts and the rest with the concerned authority. The engineers have assured that all work will be completed before the WAZA conference," said Delhi zoo director Amitabh Agnihotri. The Zoo authorities have also complained about the construction materials lying all around the zoo precinct.