People who love to watch aquatic life and fishes need not go far from the city to see the exotic varieties of fishes. For, the much awaited Ranchi aquarium will be unveiled by CM Raghubar Das for public at the Birsa Munda Zoological Park about 12 kms from the city.
As many as 58 technically planned tanks have been installed at the aquarium so as to provide an ambient environment to 120 species of fishes. Alongwith the indigenous species a number of exotic species of fishes have been brought from abroad like Malaysia, Bangkok and Singapore.
Apart from the internal arrangements of the aquarium, equal attention has also been paid to the outer designing of the area. According to the zoo authorities, a replica of Dassam Fall at the entrance, a fountain and a Selfie Zone has been constructed to amuse the visitors.
Being home to a great diversity of flora and fauna, Jharkhand already has a number of zoological parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Spread under the area of 9000 square feet, the Ranchi aquarium is a first of its kind initiative by the Forest Environment & Climate Change Department of the State government to create India’s largest freshwater aquarium and to introduce the state population to the aquatic world.
“The main objective for constructing this aquarium is to educate the young generation and practically expose them to the vast marine world. We have tried to provide proper information about the fishes through boards and posters. We will also be distributing booklets which will brief the visitors about the setup,” said Dr. Ashok Kumar, Director of the Zoo.
The Bhagwan Birsa Zoological Park along with the Ranchi Aquarium at Ormanjhi is set to create a vibrant space for tourism. Talking about the future plans, he said, “We are soon planning to come up with a butterfly park which will include various indigenous species of butterflies. Around 100 local species of butterflies have been marked till now. Hopefully, this project will be completed in two years.”
“The foundation of the Ranchi aquarium was laid under the master plan of Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park’s forest division in 2004. The construction of the building got finished in 2007 but due to lack of participation from authorities, the actual construction of the aquarium started in 2016 and it will be functional from tomorrow,” added Dr Kumar.
The area inside the aquarium will strictly prohibit photography. The authorities have decided to charge a minimal amount of Rs 30 from adults and Rs 15 from kids as the entry fee.