VIJAYAWADA: To turn the zoos in the state into environment-friendly places, the Zoo Authority of Andhra Pradesh (ZAAP) has decided to pose restrictions on the entry of personal vehicles into the Visakhapatnam and Tirupati zoos from August 15. The authority will instead run battery-operated vehicles for the convenience of the visitors. In a meeting held at the secretariat on Friday, officials discussed with forest minister Sidda Raghava Rao, who is the chairman of the ZAAP, the plans of development of zoos in the State.
“Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam and SV Zoological Park in Tirupati will get 30 battery-operated vehicles each, which will provide conveyance to the visitors. All the other vehicles will be restricted,” the principal chief conservator of forests (head of forest force) told TNIE.
The battery-operated vehicles will be procured under Public Private Partnership model. On the occasion, Sidda Raghava Rao directed the officials to setup a mini-theatre, which would run films on the specialty of the zoo and animals present there, in both the zoos. He also asked the officials to prepare the designs and plans for the creation of a zoological park and night safari in Amaravati.
He instructed the officials to identify 1,000 acres for the purpose, soon. The authority also decided to hike the prices of entry tickets to zoos from `10 to `20. The price of entry ticket for the safari is hiked to `50 from `25. “While the price of ticket for children has not been hiked, we have decided to give `5 concession to children from government schools. Children from tribal schools will have to pay no fees,” an official said. The ZAAP also increased the salaries of veterinary doctors, veterinary officers and assistants. It also decided to increase the funds, to be given to the zoos for maintenance and other development works, from `10 lakh to `25 lakh. The revised decisions would come into effect from April 1.