Preliminary work on the first night safari in India is likely to begin soon in Greater Noida, a growing suburban town of Delhi.
The Greater Noida Master Plan 2021 was approved by the National Capital Region (NCR) Board last week.
The project, conceived on the lines of the famed Singapore Night Safari, had been stuck up for want of a green signal from the NCR board, officials told IANS.
“Now the biggest bottleneck has been removed. We hope to start work at the earliest,” said Anil Kumar Gupta, the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner.
Progress on the night safari, one of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s favourite projects, is being monitored by Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani.
The state government is likely to proceed with the bid invitation process for developing the wildlife night park through public-private partnership mode.
“The 102-acre land for the project will not require any land use change as it is already marked for recreational green. The project has already got statutory approvals from the Central Zoo Authority and the Supreme Court,” Gupta said.
The project was conceived in 2005 by the Samajwadi Party government of Mulayam Singh Yadav but was grounded by the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The government has decided not to allow any commercial construction or housing projects within the safari area, which will have 60 percent animals from abroad and 40 percent from the Indian subcontinent.
A total of 71 species of animals, including 58 species of mammals, eight species of birds, three species of reptiles and two species of gigantic lizards, is proposed for the project.