BHUBANESWAR: Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday met Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and urged his intervention for expansion of the Sambalpur Zoo and declaration of Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
Handing over two separate letters to Yadav, Pradhan said in 2023, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) recognized the zoo as the ‘Sambalpur Zoo and Conservation Centre’. “Since its establishment in 1980, the zoo has evolved from a deer park to a significant centre for wildlife conservation and public education. The zoo currently spans 13 hectares within the Motijharan sanctuary and is home to 333 animals from 15 species, including tigers, bears, pythons, and peacocks,” he said.
In 2022, the Zoo Evaluation Committee recommended upgrading the zoo to a ‘medium category zoo’, with the inclusion of around 18-20 hectare of land from the Motijharan reserved forest. This expansion would enable introduction of new animal species and enhance educational and research facilities, aligning with the approved master plan for 2023-24, the letter said.
With CZA approval, the zoo has successfully carried out animal exchange programs with Nandankanan zoo and relocation programmes with Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Pradhan said.
The BJP MP from Sambalpur said that the zoo is planning several new attractions to advance its mission of wildlife conservation and public education. These include a night safari, an African penguin exhibit, desert and rain forest biodomes and a primate enclosure.
The goal is to provide visitors with an immersive experience and raise awareness about diverse ecosystems.
In a separate letter, Pradhan drew the urgent attention of Yadav for development of Nagar Vans in the industrial belt of Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Brajrajnagar and Angul-Dhenkanal coal mining areas, as well as Titlagarh and Balangir, which are affected by extreme temperature.
Pradhan also met the Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and requested him for the establishment of a terminal market complex in Sambalpur. This will serve as a transformative step in strengthening horticulture value chains, improving farmer incomes, reducing post-harvest losses and providing a modern market ecosystem for the region.
Pradhan said the state government has submitted a proposal in 2009-10 which had received in-principle approval of the executive committee of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). However, the project did not progress due to the state government’s lack of cooperation in finalising a private promoter through a global tendering process.