Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 19: A proposal of Rs 165 crore was submitted before the committee on subordinate legislation of the Karnataka legislature for the overall development and promotion of Pilikula Nisargadhama.
A meeting regarding the proposal was held at the Zilla Panchayat office on Wednesday, February 19, chaired by committee chairman Shivanna.
During the discussion, concerns were raised about the safety and maintenance of the zoo, with committee members noting that its upkeep was not up to the required standards.
Chairman Shivanna directed the deputy commissioner to prepare a report on the proposed development plans for Pilikula Nisargadhama and submit it to the committee after conducting further discussions.
Committee member and former minister Dr Seetharam stated that a meeting would be held with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of the relevant ministers to discuss the development plans. However, he noted that implementation could take three to four years as the budget has already been prepared.
Suggestions were made to appoint a director for the Pilikula Development Authority and to assign an ACF-cadre officer to oversee the zoo's administration. Temporary changes to improve zoo management were also proposed.
Dr Seetharam further suggested revising the entry fee for children by reducing it by Rs 20 to Rs 30 and reviewing the salary scale of staff members.
The committee also discussed the possibility of handing over the administration of Pilikula Zoo to the Karnataka Zoo Authority.
Chairman Shivanna emphasized the need to promote Pilikula Nisargadhama at the state and national levels to attract more visitors. He suggested organizing cultural programs to boost tourism and showcase local heritage.
Tourism department secretary Salma Faheem proposed including the region in the Karnataka Darshana program for SC/ST students, which would encourage more student visits.
The meeting was attended by education department commissioner Dr Trilok Chandra, MLC Manjunath Bhandary, Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Anand, and committee members DG Shanthana Gowda, Samruddhi Manjunath, Prakash Koliwad, Raja Venugopal Nayak, Vittal Somanna, N Ravi Kumar, Ganapathy Ulwekar, Vasanth Kumar, Kiran Kumar, and Srivatsa.