Haphazard parking by zoo visitors, traffic congestion irks commuters at Katraj
PUNE Visitors to the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, Katraj, are parking their vehicles haphazardly causing traffic congestion which continues to irk daily commuters
PUNE Visitors to the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, Katraj, are parking their vehicles haphazardly causing traffic congestion which continues to irk daily commuters. Weekends prove even more problematic for commuters as there are more people visiting the zoo.
“The current space is turning out to be small with the number of visitors increasing in the summer season. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is looking for an alternative space which can be provided to park vehicles,” said Rajkumar Jadhav, director, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre. Ever since the Katraj zoo reopened on March 20 after a gap of two years, it has been receiving a very good response from the public.
“Instead of using the allocated vehicle parking space, many people are parking their vehicles on footpaths or wherever they find a place on the road. Officials from the zoo authority are guiding visitors to park their vehicles at the appropriate place,” said Ashok Ghorpade, superintendent of gardens, PMC.
Chirag Panchal, resident of Bharati Vidyapeeth, said, “Between 12 noon and 6 pm, there is more traffic congestion. Once the zoo is closed, there is traffic due to multiple signals along the complete stretch.”
On the other hand, the zoo is being upgraded rapidly with a number of animals expected in the next three months. As of now, there are 440 animals belonging to 63 different species including tigers (eight), leopards and a giant squirrel.
“Hyenas will be the new attraction for visitors,” said Jadhav.