People throng Patna zoo on New Year's

PATNA: The chilling cold weather on Friday seemed to have no effect on the New Year revellers as people from all walks of life turned out in large number at Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park on Friday to celebrate the New Year day.
In the early hours, the zoo did not witness a huge turnout. But the scene changed after 12 noon as the crowd started swelling.The zoo authorities had set up additional ticket counters at both the gates of zoo yet long queue was seen at these ticket counters.
Talking to TOI, zoo deputy director Praveen Kumar said, “We got a very good response from the people on the day. On Friday around 26,000 visitors reached the zoo and enjoyed their stay at zoo for hours.” He also added that the whole celebrations went off very peacefully and not a single unfortunate incident was noticed inside the zoo. With 12,000 advanced ticket booking, it was evident that a large number of visitors would gather there to celebrate the day.
Different groups of people had different plans to celebrate the New Year. Many families reached the zoo in a picnic mode. They carried readymade food items with them and spent hours at the zoo. Kids, on the other hand, were seen playing some games or seeing the animals at zoo.
However, the kids were unhappy with the zoo’s decision not to run the toy train, a favourite with the kids. Many visitors were also upset when they came to know that the boat ride was also not allowed on Friday.
These minor disappointments notwithstanding, the visitors remained enthusiastic as they were seen in a jolly mood. Many old aged people were seen playing with their grandchildren. Ajay Sinha, a retired police officer, said, “Patna zoo is the best place for people of any age group to enjoy the first day of the New Year. The calm atmosphere here gives a feeling of being far from the busy town.”
There were a lot of food stalls too for the visitors who didn’t want to take the burden of carrying food from their home. They enjoyed the food available inside. The revellers were also seen engaged in taking their family or solo photographs.
Meanwhile, a large number of people preferred to visit Mahavir Temple near Patna Junction railway station on the occasion. Facing chilly winds, they waited to perform pooja. Another reason for the huge gathering at the Temple was the lunar eclipse on late Thursday night.
The temple authorities had made elaborate arrangements to manage the heavy rush of the people. Adequate number of guards, besides policemen were on and around the temple premises to manage the crowd as well as the traffic on the road adjoining the temple.