9 bidders respond to BMC’s proposal for constructing exotic bird park at Nahur

Speaking to The Indian Express on Saturday, Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Director of Mumbai’s Zoo, said the pre-bid meeting was held recently. “During the course of this meeting, nine bidders submitted their queries. Their questions mostly ranged between issues like Bank Guarantee and operational MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding). We have responded to each query and are expecting to finalise the final contractor in the next one month,” on Saturday.

He said that the appointed contractor will be responsible for constructing the entire aviary and maintaining it for a period of two years. For maintenance work, the selected contractor may also have to sign MoUs with third-party organisations for smooth execution.

According to the tender document, the facility will have 22 different species of birds, including sun conure, golden conure, eclectus parrot, African grey parrot, ostrich, toco toucan and black swan, among others.

For accommodating birds like pelicans, ducks, cranes and ostriches, the authorities will also create dedicated holding areas comprising artificial water bodies and objects replicating the natural habitat of these birds.

“The responsibility of acquiring the birds, however, lies with the zoo administration. The design of the facility was also prepared by us based on which civil works will be executed by the contractor,” Dr Tripathi said.

Recreation hub, amphitheatre, bird hospital

The proposal for constructing an aviary was mooted last year, following which two different proposals were sent to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for acquiring birds as well as for the approval of the park’s layout.

The facility will also have a seating area, amphitheatre and knowledge centre along with walkways as well as a restaurant. The knowledge centre will include artificial rockwork, along with thematic representation of multiple cultures. Inside the aviary, the authorities will also construct an artificial waterfall.

“Each enclosure will replicate the bird’s natural habitat. The facility will be equipped with ample green cover since the idea is to transform this space into a recreation hub for citizens,” said a civic official.

The BMC’s tender stated that the facility will also house a hospital for the treatment of birds along with a dedicated quarantine facility.

The project will also include an underground parking system that will operate automatically with the help of rotors. The tender document states that this facility will be able to accommodate 60 cars at a time.