Rs 24.72 cr plan to beautify zoo

LUCKNOW: Lucknow zoo is set for a new look. The artistic benches along the pavements and bottle palms lining the roads will make the place more attractive.
There is much more to come on the zoo front in the coming days. The state government has planned renovation on a bigger scale. Nirman Nigam has readied a proposal worth approximately Rs 24.72 crore for the renovation of the place."The work might start shortly," zoo director Renu Singh said.
The funds will be released in phases and it will take some time before the work is completed. The new enclosures for animals like macaw and emu will be constructed. The lawns are to get a better variety of grass and roadsides will be lined with `champa' flowers.
The overall look of zoo will be changed in order to make it a better place for visitors. There are plans to provide water coolers in the premises and an improved park for children. The existing swings might be given a new look and new ones will also be provided.
The facade of the zoo might also change with boundary wall getting pink stones on the outside. About two years back, the place was white-washed but renovation was awaited. The old structures will be dismantled to give way to the new ones like an improved visitors' room.
Lucknow zoo was established in 1921. Spreading over an area of 87 acres, it houses around 900 animals. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has categorised it it as a large zoo. UP has two zoos, one each in Kanpur and Lucknow. The third one is to come up at Gorakhpur.