PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Jan 9 : The New Year brought with it a gift for Jamshedpur residents. Tata Steel dedicated the remodeled Tata Steel Zoological Park ( TSZP ) to Steel City , reiterating the company’s commitment towards preserving biodiversity.
Notably, opening of the entrance plaza facilitates separate passages for visiting public to come into the Zoo and safe exit with facility for parking their four and two-wheelers.
It would additionally have souvenir e-cart with charging stations, shop, change/rest rooms for staff, AV room, e-ticketing facility, CCTV surveillance etc.
Moreover, a beautiful fountain park and herbivore exhibit has also been set up. These facilities are now ready for the visitors.
Tata Steel Limited conceptualized the creation of a zoo in 1992 in Jamshedpur as an endeavour to raise people’s awareness on the need to conserve forests and wildlife in the Singhbhum landscape.
The zoo, on an average, has more than 4 lakh visitors in a year and is one of the major attractions of Jamshedpur.
TSZP is a recognized ‘Medium’ category Zoo by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
The CZA evaluates Zoos on periodic basis and stipulates conditions for their improvement. TSZP has been evaluated by CZA at periodic intervals and major recommendations to meet the prescribed standards are creation of a veterinary hospital with postmortem room and incinerator, shifting of animal enclosures, separate entry and exit gates for visiting public, strengthening perimeter wall etc.
Tata Steel Zoological Society engaged Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited (TSUISL) to help in redrawing the master layout plan of the park. Taxonomic display of animals in thematic zones was chosen as the broad principle for the new plan.