Wildlife Park planned near Nagpur

The Maharashtra government will develop a wildlife park near Nagpur in Vidarbha with 49% private participation. The park, to be spread across 1,914 acres, will be developed as an international nature tourism centre similar to the ones in Africa and will house various kinds of wild species. Announcing the project Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the proposed park is expected to incur an investment of about Rs 720 crore, and international or domestic companies will be invited to bid for the project. The park will come up near Gorewada in Nagpur and the state’s involvement will be limited to providing the required 1,914 acres and building the fencing around it, he said. The state government has appointed Singapore-based Bernard Harrison and Friends as project consultants for the park. Chavan said the idea is not just to provide opportunities for tourism, but to build a facility that can accommodate wild animals found in other areas, where their survival is threatened because of human encroachment.