Environmentalists and animal lovers can heave a sigh of relief. With opposition mounting, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has decided to shelve the proposed Dolphinarium project mooted at Marine Drive.
The decision was taken following the instructions of Animal Welfare Board of India to the state governments against sanctioning of dolphinariums or dolphin parks as the mammals are a protected species and their import or capture, prohibited.
“The GCDA has decided to scrap the proposed Dolphin Park project because the Centre has issued strict guidelines on setting up such facilities in the country. We do not want to carry out any unauthorised projects and we have conveyed the decision to the Union and state governments. We have also requested the Centre to consider our proposal as the first priority if they decide to relax the regulations and allow Dolphin Parks in the country,” said GCDA chairman N Venugopal.
The GCDA is considering a proposal for setting up a marine fish aquarium-cum-leisure park instead. “A proposal for the marine aquarium has been submitted by West Coast Hatcheries and Research Centre Pvt Ltd, which is under consideration. The `18-crore project will come up at the northern end of the Marine Drive identified for the Dolphinarium,” he said.
The major attractions of the aquarium-cum-park are the under tunnel aquarium, marine fish aqua research centre and an underwater restaurant. “We plan to set up an underwater restaurant, which will be first of its kind in the state. Another attraction is the 7D theatre of international standard,” Venugopal said.
The GCDA is also planning to launch the cable car services and helium balloons to attract more people to Marine Drive, a hotspot in the city. “Our effort is to develop Marine Drive into a world class entertainment zone,” he said.
