Patna zoo likely to get monorail

PATNA: The Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park , commonly known as the Patna zoo , is likely to get a monorail soon. A decision in this regard will be taken by the environment and forest department after the state government’s nod.

Principal chief conservator of forests, Devendra K Shukla told this reporter that a proposal for the monorail was presented by a Gujarat-based private company.

“The monorail will move above ground without causing inconvenience to the zoo inmates. It will also not make any noise and enable the visitors to enjoy an aerial view of the zoo,” Shukla said, adding the elevated monorail would move on a single track.

Monorails are operational at zoos and parks in Tokyo, Finland and Singapore, among other places.

The toy train , which passes through animal enclosures, lakes and other areas of the Patna zoo, was out of order for years after it got derailed in October 2014. The tracks were repaired, but the train did not work like before. Since then, the authorities have been trying to start a new train facility for visitors.

Shukla said, “The monorail with automatic doors and air-conditioned coaches will be installed at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Maintaining it will also be an expensive affair. We are, therefore, looking for other options like reviving the old toy train by replacing its tracks. We will require approximately Rs 8 crore for the purpose.”

An eco-friendly trackless toy train began running at the city zoo recently. The 40-seater train starts from gate number I and stops at ‘Fern House’, ‘Children Garden’, ‘Medicinal Garden’ and gate number II.