THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when the modernisation drive at the city zoo has slowed to a crawl and when there is a pressing need for fresh construction activity, the zoo authorities have surrendered Rs.75 lakh out of the Rs.3 crore allotted as Plan funds by the State Government for the financial year 2006-07.

According to sources in the Government, the zoo authorities had submitted an action plan of about 15-odd projects for that financial year. These included remodelling the old cage for the carnivores, renovation of the enclosure for the jaguar, construction of an aviary, renovation of the enclosures for the ungulates and renovation of the enclosures for the fox and the porcupine.

Now sanction has been given only for the proposal for remodelling the carnivore cages, for the jaguar enclosure, a new road and for the aviary. In other words, a good portion of the action plan, including proposals for setting up an enclosure for the giant squirrels and renovating the ostrich enclosure, would now remain on paper. Among the projects submitted as part of the action plan was one for setting up a comprehensive drainage system for a major portion of the zoo. Now the water that collects inside the zoo premises is drained off using canals that run past (often through) the animal enclosures.

The proposal was to create a drainage mechanism that would allow water to bypass the animal enclosures and drain off directly into the manhole that links the zoo's drainage system to the city's drainage network.

It is not immediately clear why the zoo authorities kept Rs.75 lakh that was part of the plan fund unutilised.

According to zoo director Elcy George, one reason could have been that there was a per-month expenditure ceiling for the zoo. However, she also added that at a meeting she attended before she became director, the Government secretary concerned had asked the zoo authorities to write to the Government to raise this ceiling if they felt that the amount was too restrictive.

By the time the zoo authorities wrote that letter, it was near the end of the financial year and they were asked to surrender the remaining fund. A short while later, when Ms. George wrote to the Government asking whether the zoo could have the surrendered money back, she was told that the money had already been given to another department. "This year we have asked the Government for more money than what was allotted to us in the Plan fund. We hope will get what we asked for," Ms. George added.

Elephant from Mumbai

A three-member team from the zoo led by Jayakumar, veterinarian, has left for Mumbai to bring a male elephant.

The journey from Mumbai is most likely to commence on Thursday and it would take another week for the truck bearing the animal to reach Thiruvananthapuram, a zoo official said.

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