Park ready, but none to cut the ribbon

Park ready, but none to cut the ribbon
India s first butterfly park awaits opening by VVIP
Vijay Times

Bangalore: The country s first full-fledged butterfly park at Bannerghatta Biological Park is getting delayed for a strange reaso the Forest Department has apparently failed to identify the ’right VVIP’ to inaugurate it. Result: The Department is incurring heavy expenses even as the park remains closed to the public.

The Rs 3-crore park was scheduled to be thrown open by June 2005. But it was postponed for the first time for some unknown reasons, and further delayed awaiting inauguration by President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit here in Nov .

Kalam’s tight schedule had left the Forest Department officials high and dry .

W e know it is late, but we need to get some VVIP to inaugurate the park. Former Chief Minister Dharam Singh wrote to the President requesting him to inaugurate the park. Following the change in government, the new Chief Minister has to write to him again or decide who should inaugurate it, A K Varma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, told Vijay Times.

He said the matter is now with the Principal Secretary who will brief the new Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy , pressing for an early inauguration.

"Maintaining this park is a costly affair . Keeping it closed means loss of revenue, so we need to inaugurate it at least by next month," he said.

The park has over 2,000 butterflies flitting in the 135-feet diameter park with a height of 30 feet. About 30 species are released into the park with attractive landscaping and waterfalls.

The breeding of over 20 species of butterflies has been standardised. Over 20 species of host plants has been introduced in the park as butterflies prefer a particular plant for breeding. Besides, 13,000 host plants have been raised in a nursery adjacent to the park.

The Forest Department has also brought the problem to the notice of Member Secretary , Zoo Authority of India where the co-ordination committee will also follow it up for the e inauguration of the park.