Fearing a backlash ahead of the civic polls, the Shiv Sena on Saturday deferred a proposal to charge Rs 100 per person for visitors wishing to see the Humbolt penguins at the Byculla zoo. For now, the Sena has decided that from the last week of January till March 31, only children below the age of 12 will be allowed to see the penguins free of cost. Civic officials said the proposal to levy the entry charges was placed before the group leaders’ meeting, chaired by Mayor Snehal Ambekar. Currently, there are seven penguins at the Byculla Zoo. A one-and-a-half-year-old female penguin died on October 23 due following brief illness. As per the proposal, the entry for adults would be increased from Rs 50 to Rs 100 and from Rs 25 to Rs 50 for children below 12 years of age. Besides, it also proposes to charge Rs 25 from people above 60 years. Ambekar said the penguins will be opened to public viewing in the next 20 days. “From January last week, children below the age of 12 would be able to see the penguins for free. No entry for people above 12 years till March 31,” said Ambekar. Yashodhar Phanse, Sena’s senior corporator and chairman of the Standing committee, said the charges should be reasonable. “The penguins will be thrown open at the hands of schoolchildren. Teachers and guardians accompanying the children below 12 years will be allowed to see the penguins without charges,” said Phanse. However, Congress legislator Nitesh Rane has opposed the move terming it as ‘public loot’.
