August 22, 2014
Bengal may soon get Singapore-styled Night Safari
West Bengal may soon get a Singapore-styledNight Safari. West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee was inspired by thearrangements for tourists at the Singapore Zoo. She was suggested to take thetrip by Hon'ble Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister went for a night safariat the zoo in an open tram. They sighted tigers, rhinos, bison and lions duringthe 45-minute trip. Thrilled by the experience, the Chief Minister declaredthat she would take an initiative to introduce a similar safari in the state.”We must have a night safari somewhere in West Bengal,” she said atthe end of the trip.
On way back from the zoo, the West BengalChief Minister said she was ready to send wild elephants to Singapore as agoodwill gesture. “If they ask for it, I am ready to send elephants andrhinos,” she said.
Incidentally, the West Bengal Government issetting up a bird sanctuary within the Eco Park at Rajarhat, the Chief Ministerhad said at Singapore on Monday. After taking a tour around the famous JurongBird Park in Singapore, the West Bengal Chief Minister said the sanctuary willcome up over a five acre area.
She also said that a Safari Park is beingset up at Siliguri. The West Bengal Chief had laid the foundation stone of thesafari park on the fringes of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on July 17. Thesafari park, which is the first of its kind in the State, will be built over anarea of 600 acres at a cost of Rs 255 crore. The park is a joint project of thedepartments of north Bengal development, tourism and the forest. The CentralZoo Authority has granted permission to the state government to set up the park.
