BHUBANESWAR: If things materialise as planned, Puri may soon get a world-class marine aquarium and underwater zoo near the sea beach, giving tourists another compelling reason to visit the pilgrim city.
The Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD) department has invited an expression of interest (EOI) for establishment of the state-of-the-art marine aquarium and underwater zoo in the coastal city, world famous for the Shree Jagannath Temple and its beaches.
The project has been envisioned to be of international standard, positioning Puri as a global marine tourism hub while promoting education, conservation and sustainable development, officials of the Fisheries department said.
As per the EOI floated by the department, the project will be taken up in public-private partnership (PPP) mode in which a capable organisation will be finalised to design, construct, own, run and maintain the marine aquarium and underwater zoo near the sea beach as a commercial venture.
While the private organisation will bear the entire investment and operation cost, the state government will provide land for the purpose at a subsidised rate and may also consider providing viability gap funding to meet the capital expenditure requirement of the project.
As per the department, the organisation selected will also be responsible for exhibit development of international standard at the marine aquarium, marketing and promotion to attract both domestic and international tourists, and ensuring compliances with the statutory and environmental regulations.
Interested organisations can submit their EOI to the department by October 10 this year. The proposal review period will commence from October 20, while announcement of the final decision will be done on October 30.
Officials said the state government is also planning to create a number of such new tourist attractions in and around the city.