LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Ch Parvez Elahi
has approved the establishment of Zoo
& Wildlife Management Authority to
provide maximum recreational facilities to the children. The proposed body
will be tasked to undertake work for the
construction and restoration of the zoo
houses and safari zoos across Punjab.
The decision to reorganize Lahore Zoo
and Safari Zoo was taken in a meeting
chaired by the chief minister who directed provision of more recreation facilities to the children. DG Wildlife gave
him a briefing regarding Lahore Zoo and
Safari Zoo. The meeting was told that legislation will be done for setting up Zoo &
Wildlife Management Authority and an
Act will soon be presented in the Punjab Assembly for the purpose. The chief
minister also granted approval to establish a theme park in the Safari Zoo to
provide quality recreational facilities to
the children. He directed that the Safari
Zoo should be made a recreation place of
an international level adding that South
Asian and African theme zones will be
established in the Safari Zoo. The meeting was told that that food courts will be
established in the Lahore Zoo and the
Safari Zoo in the natural environment,
and they will remain open at night also.
Besides, Joy land, tram structure and
other facilities will be provided in the
safari zoo and bird shows will also be organized in the Lahore Zoo for the interest of children. The CM directed that the
proposal to establish food courts on the 7
kanal land adjoining with the Lahore Zoo
and Bagh-e-Jinnah will be reviewed adding that facilities should further be improved as well as made attractive in the
zoos so that maximum number of people
can come for recreation. The CM further
directed that innovations like tiger tunnel should be introduced in the Safari
Zoo adding that a ride history gallery
should be established in the Lahore Zoo
and Safari Zoo to provide awareness to
the children about the history. He also directed that breeding of the birds should
be reviewed in the Zoo and Safari Zoo.
Parvez Elahi recalled that he had ordered to make a master plan to provide
better recreational facilities in the safari
zoo during his previous tenure; but unfortunately, the PML-N government politicized this programme like many other
projects. “Shahbaz Sharif halted our every work which incurred loss to the national exchequer”, he said.