CM Devendra Fadnavis: African, Indian safari by Nov 2017

Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has set a fresh deadline for African and Indian safari of the Gorewada zoo project. The minister has directed state forest department to start both the safaris by November 2017. Earlier, in a review meeting held on May 7 2015, Fadnavis had set December 2015 deadline for biopark and Indian safari projects. Fadnavis also approved upgrade of 16km of roads for the jungle safari.
In a meeting held in Mumbai on Wednesday, Fadnavis also gave in-principle clearance to a 4km-long ropeway ride which will be an added attraction to the zoo. TOI was the first to report about the ropeway which will run across the proposed night safari site, the forest and Gorewada lake to reach the entertainment hub.
The Rs34-crore Gorewada zoo ropeway proposal was mooted by West Nagpur BJP MLA Sudhakar Deshmukh, whose constituency includes the site for the zoo. Fadnavis has now instructed forest officials to prepare a detailed project report for the ropeway and submit it to the centre for approval.
Fadnavis asked the forest department to get the centre’s permission for the project on priority basis. As reported by TOI earlier, the Rs540-crore Gorewada zoo and animal rescue centre project may get a nod from the centre by December. However, getting clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, remains its biggest hurdle.
TOI learnt that Kolhapur-based Laxmi Constructions has bagged the tender for Indian safari for Rs40 crore. The Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), which is executing the project, had received four bids for the safari. Spread over 145 hectares, Indian safari will consist of tiger and leopard safari along with other animals.
Proposed 11 years ago as a signature project for Nagpur, the Rs720-crore Gorewada zoo project was announced on December 12, 2005. However, the actual process to set it up started only in 2011, and permissions for zoo master plan and rescue centre from Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and Supreme Court were obtained in 2014 and 2015. The plan was to be executed in 4 phases over a 7-year period. However, no work on the ground has begun.