BMC razes illegal structures at private zoo in Shivaji Park

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday afternoon demolished six unauthorised structures at a private zoo in Shivaji Park, Dadar West.

Prashant Sapkale, assistant commissioner with G North ward, confirmed that action was taken against Marine Aqua Zoo.

A civic official said, “We had given them more than 15 days to show us documents. Since they failed to produce any, we pulled down the structures that had been built without a permission from the civic body.”

However, action on animals that were kept in those enclosures was a call that needed to be taken by the forest department, the official said.

When contacted, range forest officer, Mumbai, Rakesh Bhoir, said, “They do not have permissions from the Central Zoo Authority but have registered the exotic animals/birds on the ‘Parivesh’ portal of the Central government and the remaining animals are domestic ones. We have sent a report to our seniors and are awaiting instructions.”

Forest officials said since the zoo currently did not have any species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, no action could be initiated.

Amaan Khan, head of management, Marine Aqua Zoo, called this a political vendetta.

“If there is actually any illegality, why is there no FIR against us? One of the structures demolished was used as a projection area where we would educate people with a screen and a projector,” he said.

On demolition of a cement structure, Khan said it was their canteen where food was cooked for their staff and animals. “We showed them (BMC) all documents and even proved that there was no restaurant here. Yet BMC did not listen to us and went ahead with its demolition.”

HT had in March reported about forest officials finding the proprietors of the facility, Nandakumar Moghe and his son Yuvraj, in possession of a soft-shell turtle, five-star tortoises and three plum-headed parakeets, all protected species, along with a dozen species of exotic fish, an exotic frog, an exotic spider, a gecko, four iguanas and two exotic snakes, including a python. In June, another report from HT highlighted that after the raid, the private zoo continued to operate illegally.