BMC scraps tender for ₹44cr aquarium at Byculla zoo

Mumbai The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration has scrapped the contentious ₹44-crore tenders that were floated for the construction of a state-of-the-art aquarium at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udhyan or Byculla Zoo.

This came months after the civic body scrapped a ₹291 crore tender for constructing new animal enclosures inside the zoo, owing to cost escalation and allegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said the project was scrapped because the BMC has already received a go-ahead from the state government for building an aquarium and marine research centre at the Worli on a plot occupied by government dairy.

“The tender for creating the aquarium was floated by the zoo administration at their own capacity since they were following the national zoo policy that requires setting up of an aquarium inside a zoo. After the proposal came to me for final clearance last month, I cancelled it since we are already making a ₹1,000 crore aquarium and research centre at the plot in Worli and it doesn’t make any sense in spending ₹44 crore inside the zoo again,” Chahal told HT on Sunday.

Earlier, on June 11, the civic body had floated a tender worth ₹44 crore for creating an aquarium inside the zoo premises. The aquarium would have a dome-shaped entrance and a tunnel that would serve as a walkway and give visitors a 180-degree unhindered view of the aquarium. The officials had then said that the idea of creating this aquarium was conceived by former tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray.

“Walking through the circular aquarium like a domed entrance and tunnel, visitors were to get the experience of seeing the fish in the sea. Due to this, this aquarium would have been a big attraction for tourists in the future. As per instructions of Aaditya Thackeray, different features were included in the aquarium and a tender process had been started for the aquarium,” the BMC had said in a press statement earlier in June.

However, after the project was floated, leaders of the BJP in the BMC pointed out discrepancies in the project.

“The tender for this project was rigged. Even before it was floated, it was decided who would get the contract. All the tenders related to Byculla Zoo, and oxygen plants have been bagged by only one contractor. The same was supposed to happen for this project as well but before that we pointed out the discrepancies and the project has now been taken down,” said Mishra.

“This is the second time in a year that a tender has been taken down that was related to the Byculla Zoo. The rate analysis was also not done in a proper way. Now we will seek a departmental enquiry against the officials that were involved in this project,” said Mishra.

Meanwhile, officials from the civic body refrained from saying anything on record. However, a senior official requesting anonymity said that the tenders were taken down on June 20. It is also to be noted that during the said date, Maharashtra was in the middle of a political turmoil after Eknath Shinde, along with 38 rebel legislators caused a vertical split in the Shiv Sena.