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Greens oppose redvpt plan for Byculla zoo ...........Sukhada Tatke I TNN
Mumbai: Prominent environmental groups in the city will meet on Thursday to protest against the redevelopment plan for Jijamata Udyan, which they say will destroy the zoo’s heritage botanical garden. The masterplan for the redevelopment of the Byculla Zoo is currently awaiting the approval of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC).
At the meeting, representatives of the Bombay Natural History Society, CitiSpace, Oval Trust, Sanctuary Asia, Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee, Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), WWF-India,Awaaz Foundation and Clean-Air will draw attention to the environmental and heritage value of the zoo’s gardens, and demonstrate how the BMC’s plan may not be the best thing for the city. “The 148-year-old botanical garden of Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, Byculla, popularly known as Rani Bagh, is in grave danger due to the so-called redevelopment plans of the BMC to convert the entire 53-acre Grade II-B heritage site into an international zoo at a phenomenal cost of Rs 433 crore. This is greater than the entire budget allocated by the state to protect all the wildlife,’’ said Nayana Kathpalia of CitiSpace. “Currently, 63% of the total area is occupied by the botanical garden. It is Mumbai’s largest green open public space. We will urge the MHCC to reject the proposed redevelopment,’’ she added. A senior BMC official said that all heritage structures will be preserved. The Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee has been campaigning since April 2007 to preserve the sanctity of the garden, and had recently represented its case at a hearing before the MHCC. CHANGES ON CARDS * The Save Rani Bagh Committee has obtained data under the RTI Act that shows that the entire 53-acre garden is sought to be remodelled, leading to the total destruction of the botanical garden and its Renaissance heritage layout * Internal gardens will be reduced from over 50 to just 14, post-redevelopment * Around 1,100 trees will be included inside animal enclosures, and several others will be inaccessible beyond service roads
* The public (including botany students) will lose access to a huge number of trees and garden area |
