Transit treatment centre: Pune forest dept to launch phase two project soon

Pune: The Pune forest division will soon begin to work on the second phase of its Transit Treatment Centre (TTC). The department received a ₹30-crore fund proposal and the work will likely speed up in the post-Diwali period, said officials. The second phase of the project will focus on enclosures for birds as well as herbivorous species.

The TTC facility set up by the Forest Department is located at Bavdhan. It is spread over 22 acres and is also considered as biggest facility for wild animals in the entire Maharashtra. The ₹50-crore first phase of TTC was inaugurated in September by forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. The first phase of the facility included an administrative building, a veterinary hospital, internal roads a comprehensive enclosure for animals, a boundary wall, a post-mortem room, a burning shed, drainage and water supply lines, etc.

The second phase of the project cover separate enclosures for different categories of animals and birds. The animal category includes the Feline group, Canine Group, Deer Group, Antelope group, Primets section, birds section, and reptile and mammals sections. A ground survey has been completed and a proposal has been sent to the forest department said the forest officials.

Ram Dhotre, planning incharge, Pune Forest Department said, “We have received a proposal of ₹30 crore from the agency that will be working on the second phase of the TTC. The proposal is in the final stages and work is expected to start soon on TTC.”

Currently, the TTC is managed by the RESQ Charitable Trust, a wildlife NGO working in the field of animal rescue and rehabilitation and over 150 wild animals, including birds are being treated in this facility. The centre not only provide treatment facilities for wild animals but also provide permanent shelter to those who need lifetime care and those animals who are seized from the conflict areas and kept in lifetime captivity.