Bhubaneswar: After a long wait, visitors to Nandankanan Zoological Park, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, will now get to ride the aerial ropeway.
The much-awaited ropeway facility is slated to be formally inaugurated on Friday. While Odisha’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pradip Amat is likely to inaugurate the ropeway in the afternoon, it will be available for visitors from November 18, sources said.
The ropeway was ready for operation and awaiting nod from the government. Initially, it will have four cabins for visitors. Eight more cabins will be added later. After the installation of 12 cabins, around 500 people can ride the ropeway in an hour.
The project work had started in October 2021 following an agreement of Nandankanan with Kolkata-based Damodar Ropeway Infra Limited (DRIL) for the ropeway construction at an investment of around Rs 13 crore. The deadline for making it functional was 18 months.
The ropeway, which will start from the zoo campus and culminate at the botanical garden covering a distance of 626 metre, has been constructed with mono-cable pulsated with two towers. Each of the 12 cabins has the capacity to accommodate three to six persons.
Notably, the ropeway has been developed around the ‘jungle theme’ and features intricate tribal art from the region and highlights the natural flora and fauna.”It will not only provides visitors with a thrilling ride over the jungle but also an immersive experience that showcases Odisha’s art and culture. The project’s use of local materials, art, and iconography will also popularise local arts and crafts,” Damodar Ropeways MD Aditya Chamaria had earlier said.
The zoo authorities have also proposed a ‘night out programme’ and ‘nocturnal trail’ for visitors, especially students, to the park, spread over 437-hectare, in its 2040 master plan submitted to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
Plans are afoot for expansion of its existing safaris in the extended areas of Chudanga reserve forest and Krushna Nagar protected forest that were merged with the Zoological Park, a couple of years back.
