Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s announcement that the State government would fund the construction of a Semmozhi Poonga at the Coimbatore Central Prison ground has effectively stalled the plans to shift the Coimbatore Corporation VOC Park Zoo there.
At a function held in the city on Monday, Mr. Stalin said that at ₹ 200 crore the State government would develop the Poonga that would include a meeting hall, open auditorium among others and improve amenities in Gandhipuram after shifting out the Coimbatore Central Prison.
The Semmozhi Poonga was a project that was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 2010 on the eve of the State Government conducting the World Classical Tamil Conference in the city.
After the change of government in 2011, the AIADMK government did not take up the Semmozhi Poonga project.
This led the Coimbatore Corporation to pursue alternative proposal like developing the VOC Park Zoo. The Corporation came up with a proposal to develop the zoo on 30 acre, after taking 20 acre from the Prison administration (Home Department).
The Corporation said it had 10 acre on hand and by adding 20 acre prison land it could develop the zoo, which would be in line with the rules of the Central Zoo Authority and enable it house more animals. It had also prepared a funding proposal for the project saying it would utilise ₹ 20 crore from the Smart Cities Mission project.
Later, it changed the funding pattern to say that it would approach the Central and State governments. And, to strengthen the proposal, the Corporation said retaining the zoo in Gandhipuram would add green space to the city. The Corporation, however, could not secure funds for the zoo development project.
The change of government in the State and Monday’s announcement had effectively put a full stop to the zoo development project, said the Corporation sources and added that it was back to square one for the civic body.
