After more than two months, the conveyance facility at the Delhi Zoo will be back in place and allow visitors to traverse the vast campus on electric rickshaws.
Following the expiry of the contract in February, e-rickshaws plying inside the zoo were taken off the roads leaving visitors with no choice but to walk long distances. This became an inconvenience particularly for the aged and those carrying small children.
The restarted service will be costlier. The zoo authority has fixed `50 for adults and `25 for kids.
The curator of the zoo, Riaz Khan, said the battery-operated trolleys will start functioning by May 1. “We have also increased the rate from the earlier `35 per adult to `50 per head (adult),” said Khan. The zoo authority has also increased numbers of the battery-operated rickshaws. He said, “A total 10 such vehicles will be plying and each will have capacity to accommodate 20 passengers,” he added.
Meanwhile, visitors and tourists coming to the zoo riled over no arrangements of vehicles for touring the campus.
“As I entered I was sure that there are trolleys that would take us for a round of the zoo. I found none. It was disappointing. I was told that there have been no carts or trolleys for the last two months. Had I known, I would not have come,” said MS Goel, a 72-year-old retired Government official who had come with his family.
Hussain from Dubai too rued the lack of conveyance: “I am happy after taking a complete tour of the zoo but it would have been more joyful if I had the means to get around more comfortably. It is a huge campus and walking is tiring.”
In a separate development, the zoo authority brought two foxes from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. Earlier, the zoo was left with only a male fox. “One of those has already been put in the enclosure for public viewing and the other one is under observation. It will be under observation for quite some time,” said Khan.