HYDERABAD: The Nehru Zoological Park has shelved the plan to introduce a battery-operated toy train in its 380-acre campus citing lack of space to lay new tracks.A senior forest department official said the proposal was earlier floated during Zoo and Parks Authority of Telangana (ZAPAT) review meeting headed by forest minister Jogu Ramanna. The proposal was made to make the zoo park pollution-free.
“The plan was dropped due to lack of space. Even if we run a train which can be operated on the road, it would affect visitors’ movement during holidays,” the official said adding that even battery-operated trains and bicycles are causing inconvenience to visitors in the zoo that witnesses a footfall close to 25,000.
Earlier, the authorities had contacted South Central Railway officials to check the possibilities of attaching few more coaches to the existing three-coach toy train.“We have also requested the SCR to suggest ideas to operate a second train on the same track. But, so far, there is no response from them,” he said, adding that present track does not cover the entire zoo premises.
To keep a check on unruly behaviour with animals, zoo authorities are planning to instal 100 CCTV cameras. “In spite of having animal caretakers at every enclosure, we haven’t been able to control unruly behaviour from visitors. To curb such incidents we have decided to install at least 100 CCTV cameras in the zoo,” said a forest official. Other proposals include installation of high-security coil fencing, CCTV cameras around the zoo, installation of artificial nests for birds and Telugu signboards outside animal enclosures.