Delhi zoo approaches IRCTC to run its canteen

Nearly a year after the canteen at the National Zoological Park, Delhi or Delhi zoo was shut down after objections were raised against the contractor, authorities have approached the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to operate the eatery, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

Zoo authorities insist on guests not being allowed to enter with food or drinks since some visitors try to feed the animals — wild animals have strict dietary controls in place, and can get malnourished and even develop severe health complications if fed inappropriate foods. However, the canteen at the Delhi zoo has been shut since October 2022, which means guests are forced to spend their day at the zoological park without being able to eat or drink anything.

Zoo director Akanksha Mahajan said the canteen was shut after objections were raised against its contractor, who had been running the eatery for the last 20 years. Mahajan said, “No contractor can run the canteen for two decades as this is originally against the law, and it was possible only because of certain loopholes in the original contract.”

The zoo authorities did not share the name of the contractor.

Subsequently, Mahajan said, the zoo floated five tenders to engage a private contractor to run the canteen, but a final contract never materialised. Subsequently, she said, the zoo decided to engage IRCTC, a government agency.

She said the Delhi high court on July 24 approved an application to engage a government agency to reopen the canteen.

“We are aware of the problems faced by visitors and we want to provide a better experience for our visitors, which is why a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been sent to IRCTC with revised terms and conditions. We are just waiting for their response,” said zoo director Akanksha Mahajan.

According to Mahajan, the terms to operate the canteen were revised as government agencies like IRCTC do not pay licence fees to the authorities they are collaborating with. However, a licensing fee is mandatory for the Delhi zoo.

IRCTC public relations officer Sidhartha Singh said, “The MoU is still under consideration and once it is cleared, we will reach out to the concerned zoo authorities.”

Meanwhile, in the absence of a canteen, many guests to the zoo — often accompanied by young children — say they are forced to cut short their visit.

“We were not allowed to take any of the packed food inside. We have kids with us and it is difficult to enjoy and relax when you get no food or even water inside,” said Jyoti Verma, who had come to the zoo with her two children, aged 9 and 12 years.

Meena Kumari, another visitor, said, “People are cutting short their visit to the zoo because it is impossible to walk around in this humid weather without water. We also had to plan our meal in a way that we would not be hungry inside.”