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India's First Ever World-class Aquarium To Open In Mumbai's Worli

In a major setback for Mumbaikars and tourists visiting Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has scrapped the project to set up a world-class aquarium at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan also known as Byculla Zoo.

India's First Ever World-class Aquarium To Open In Mumbai's Worli
(Representational Image)
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In a major setback for Mumbaikars and tourists visiting Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has scrapped the project to set up a world-class aquarium at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan also known as Byculla Zoo.

As per the officials, the tender process that was started in the last week has now been cancelled.

However, the civic body chief Iqbal Singh Chahal clarified since a bigger project of a world-class aquarium is coming up at the Worli Dairy, the project at Byculla zoo has been cancelled,.

Earlier, on June 11, the civic body had announced its plans to set an international standard aquarium at the zoo.

The estimated cost of the project was pegged around INR 44 crores. As per the plan, the aquarium would have been set up over an area of about 600 sq mtrs, near the penguin exhibit. The tender process for the project had been initiated; though, the BMC administration scrapped the project on Friday, June 17.

The state government is working on its ambitious project of an international tourism complex and world-class aquarium at Worli. The project, spread across 14.55 acres at the Worli Dairy complex, off the Worli Seaface, is expected to cost INR 1,000 crores and would be the first of its kind in India. The deadline for the project is December 2023. The BMC will also be a part of this project, said the civic officials.

Meanwhile, praising BMC’s move, former Opposition leader, Ravi Raja said that when an aquarium project is already undertaken at Worli Dairy, why spend crores of rupees for a similar project. It's good that the BMC has realised their mistake and hence saved taxpayers' money.

For those unversed, BMC had earlier scrapped controversial tenders worth INR 291 crores for the construction of new animal enclosures in the zoo in May, following allegations of cartelisation and cost escalation.

Moreover, it is pertinent to note that after the reopening of schools in the city, the crowd at the Byculla zoo has now declined.

The zoo recorded a footfall of more than 4 lakh visitors, with a revenue of around INR 1.50 crore in May. It is being visited by around 30,000 on weekends. However, this Saturday, June 18, saw 9,985 visitors, while 15,505 people visited the zoo on Sunday, June 19.

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