Corporators on Thailand trip
Thailand is the destination of choice for many of our elected representatives. While a team of 12 corporators returned from a four-day free trip on Tuesday, the second batch is now preparing to fly to the Southeast Asian country.
Thailand is the destination of choice for many of our elected representatives. While a team of 12 corporators returned from a four-day free trip on Tuesday, the second batch is now preparing to fly to the Southeast Asian country.
The aim – to study their zoos and gardens and give ideas to improve the ones in Mumbai.
Most of the corporators are members of the civic standing committee that cleared the Byculla zoo makeover plan two years ago. The trip has been sponsored by a private firm, HKS Consultancy, which was awarded the contract for the project.
The first team comprised deputy mayor Shailaja Girkar, chairman of market and garden committee Vilas Chawari, Shiv Sena corporator Ashivini Mate and Yashwant Jadhav, education committee chairman Rukmini Kharatmol, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Bhalchandra Shirsat, Congress corporators Sameer Desai and Kavita Rodericks and Nationalist Congress Party’s Mangesh Bansod. The second team, accompanied by mayor Shraddha Jadhav, is likely to leave on March 11.
“The trip was planned last year. It is on unofficial trip as a private firm has sponsored it,” a standing committee members said on condition of anonymity. “We went to four zoos and were surprised to see that the animals were not caged,” he added.
“There is nothing wrong in it. The corporators saw something new which would help them come up with better suggestions,” said BJP leader Ashish Shelar who cancelled his trip due to prior obligations.
In January 2011, a team of 17-18 members of the Civic Woman and Child Welfare Committee had visited the northeast of India as a study tour. In July 2010, the mayor and political party leaders in the BMC had visited the Bird Park in Singapore.