Summary:
While the work to give the 53-acre Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Zoo and Botanical Garden, a much-needed makeover is being currently carried out on war footing, the project of providing Mumbai with a state-of-art zoo is running with a delay of about a decade. A senior BMC official said that large sum of money, as well as time, has been wasted in dealing with the legal hurdles and changing the plans numerous times along with political interventions. It was in 2007 when BMC proposed a whopping Rs 433 crore zoo makeover and the master plan was prepared by Thailand-based HKS Designer and Consultancy. The plan was also soon challenged by the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) in 2010. "The BMC cannot allege that the project was delayed due to petitions and protests..