According to the reports in the media, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Vishakapatnam may be shifted to make way for a botanical garden or an IT park. This decision which may endanger the lives of over 500 species of birds and animals living in the zoo was taken to make Naidu’s so called ‘smart city’ dreams a reality.
It is said that the government is mulling this change to shift the zoo to Adivivaram on the BRTS stretch so that an IT hub could come up at the present zoo location. Environmentalists say that such move will disturb the already disturbed (due to Hudhud) biodiversity of the city.
The Zoo was set up in 1972 and was the largest zoo in undivided Andhra Pradesh after Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park. The Zoo attracts over 4,000 visitors a day and rakes in nearly Rs 10 lakh per annum from ticket sales.
