If all goes well, people can visit the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) here at night.
The Forest Department has submitted a master plan in this regard before the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
At present, people are allowed to visit the zoo till 5 pm. The Forest Department has proposed before the CZA to keep the zoo open for visitors till 8 pm. As per the plan, there will be night safari facility at NZP.
In the master plan, the Forest Department has also proposed to expand the zoo by including Krushna Nagar and Choodanga forests under its jurisdiction. The area of zoo will go up to 1,043 hectares after the expansion.
The State Government, in June this year, had decided to transform the NZP into a world-class zoo.
The developmental work at the NZP would be carried out in two phases. Nandankanan and Botanical Garden would be developed in the first phase from 2023-25. Night safari, safari complex and other facilities would be developed at nearby Choodanga forest in the second phase from 2025-28, sources said.
The zoo would have a tunnel aquarium, a water bird aviary, immersive enclosures, a modern frontage, landscaping and other advanced facilities for the visitors as part of the developmental project, the sources added.
At present, NZP has altogether 4,012 animals and birds of 161 species. The zoo has 48 species of mammals, 77 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and six species of amphibians, said a Forest Department official.
