The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has spent a staggering amount on animal enclosures at the Byculla Zoo, an RTI query has revealed. The catch? None of these animals are a part of the zoo yet.
As per documents received in response to his RTI query, Mumbai-based activist Jeetendra Ghadge said the BMC has spent Rs 8.25 crore on a lion enclosure, Rs 7.15 crore on a wolf enclosure, and Rs 3.82 crore on an otter enclosure — all animals that are not housed at the zoo yet.
Speaking to News18, Ghadge said the expenditure “defies logic and fiscal prudence” and “it would have been a judicious move to construct these enclosures once the animals were confirmed for procurement”.
Calling BMC’s decision to invest heavily in enclosures without a clear plan for acquiring the animals an “inappropriate use of public funds”, Ghadge of The Young Whistleblowers Foundation said: “In a city where an average Mumbaikar struggles to afford a home worth Rs 50 lakh, it’s baffling to comprehend how animals reside in multi-crore enclosures. This discrepancy is hard to digest.”
The data obtained by Ghadge also revealed that the expenditure for maintaining penguins at the zoo has crossed a new high.
From October 2018 to July 2023, a total of Rs 29.4 crore was expended solely on the daily maintenance of penguins. When the penguins were initially acquired, the BMC reportedly spent Rs 2.47 crore on their transportation and procurement.
“The trend of cost escalation and overpriced acquisitions seems to be a recurring theme in BMC affairs. It’s a loophole that seems to allow opportunistic individuals to benefit without facing allegations of corruption. It’s high time the BMC established stringent rules and regulations to curb these practices and stop corruption,” the activist added.
However, a BMC official aware of the issue, said on the condition of anonymity that the expenditure was a one-time investment.
“I totally disagree with those taking the exhibit expenditure in a negative way. If we compare the expenditure in the year 2019 to today, we would have to spend almost double the cost because the price of stainless steel, concrete and other materials is too high now.
“This is a one-time construction cost that we incurred in 2019. After that, there is no maintenance cost on these enclosures as they are built in stainless steel so they do not rust or require painting. They still look brand new. So, in a way, we saved a lot of money.”
The official added: “Yes, all exhibits were constructed as per an approved plan and after getting approval for animals too but the lion proposal got stuck due to new guidelines issued by the animal husbandry ministry. We could not bring a zebra in lieu of a lion. We are trying hard to bring new animals but it requires consensus between the zoo and various authorities.”
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