Corporators demand moments of silence to mourn dead penguin

Mumbai: Several BMC corporators on Wednesday demanded a condolence meet for Dory, the 18-month-old penguin that died in Byculla zoo the previous Sunday. The demand was promptly turned down by the civic standing committee.
At the committee meeting, held just three days after Dory, one out of the eight Humboldt penguins brought to the city died following an infection, Congress corporator Waqarunnisa Ansari demanded that a ‘shok sabha’ be held for the dead bird.
It is the committee’s practice to maintain a few minutes of silence over the death of any important person. Shiv Sena, the ruling party in the BMC, brushed aside Ansari’s demand.
Ansari said, “We brought exotic birds to an unaccustomed land. I had myself been to the quarantine facility on the zoo premises and was saddened to see its condition. It’s almost like a jail and it smells as well.”
Trushna Vishwasrao, Sena leader in the BMC, though, said such “ridiculous” demands had never been made when other zoo animals had died in the past. Vishwasrao added that these penguins were brought to the city for BMC students who cannot afford to travel abroad to see exotic species. “We agree that the contractor was at fault but we have asked the administration to bring in a new contractor for the revamp. Once done, people will make a beeline to see the penguins,” said Vishwasrao.
Sandeep Deshpande, MNS group leader in the BMC, immediately said there was a question mark over whether the penguins would survive till the task was completed. “A contractor who sold us Chinese machines was involved in coordinating procurement of the penguins, so what good can one expect? Even before the infrastructure to house them was readied, the penguins were brought to Mumbai. Therefore, without making this an ego issue, the penguins should be sent back to their natural habitat,” said Deshpande. The BJP, Sena’s alliance partner in the BMC, also said the penguins should have been brought after the infrastructure was ready.
The opposition in the BMC, including the MNS, Samajwadi, NCP and Congress, staged a walkout from the meeting claiming that the civic administration was misleading them over the penguin’s death.