The Greater Noida authority on Friday said that it is likely to start work on an Rs. 700 crore Night Safari project from May next year.
India’s first and world’s fourth- Night Safari project to be developed on 250 acres of land located adjoining to Gautam Budh university (GBU) campus on Yamuna Expressway is expected to be delivered to public by 2017 officials said.
The authority is on way to select an international standard consultant, who will supervise and monitor the country’s only Night Safari project’s construction.
“We are likely to select a consultant by mid-November for Night Safari project. We began the process of inviting interested parties applications from October 1. There are chances that a lot of international consultants will also apply because the project needs expertise in multiple fields,” said Rama Raman chief executive officer (CEO), the Greater Noida authority.
The authority said that consultant is needed because it cannot supervise and monitor the project’s construction owing to lack of expertise with them.
“The consultant will coordinate and help the authority in maintaining all standards related with the project. Be it forest, veterinary, national and international permissions etc all will be taken care by the consultants,” said CEO.
Officials maintained that the project will boost the realty sector in the Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway region that is yet to witness a boom in urbanisation.
Uttar Pradesh cabinet has already given its green signal to this ambitious project of present regime in state. Right after coming into power in 2012, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had issued instructions to speed up the project and constituted a committee headed by chief secretary Javed Usmani to monitor the progress. He had also directed the Greater Noida authority to ensure time-bound delivery of the project.
“After selecting a consultant, we will select an agency that will develop the Night Safari,” said another official.
In 2005, Singapore-based and world-renowned zoologist and natural planner Bernard Harrison & Company had prepared the plan when Akhilesh’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav was chief minister. Harrison has been instrumental in setting up of night safaris in Singapore and China. But during the Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) regime for five years, the project almost had remained shelved.
The project will create environment awareness and offer recreation to residents, besides boosting tourism in Greater Noida. It will be developed on the lines of open zoological gardens in China and Singapore,” said a Greater Noida authority official.
“A train will take visitors to animals in the open wilderness. Proper arrangement will be made to see the animals in the night,” he said. The animal watching hours will be from 7pm to midnight. The nocturnal park will be home to a total of 71 species of animals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/work-to-begin-by-may-on-india-s-first-night-safari-project/article1-1131125.aspx
