___________

Following is from a PIB report.

Ministry of Tourism has taken the programme of integrated development of mega destinations and circuits further. During the first quarter of 2008-09 mega tourism projects have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs.8474.20 lakh for development of the following 3 tourist circuits in the country:

1. Bhubaneshwar-Puri-Chilka Tourist Circuit in Orissa

2. Dwarka-Nageshwar-Bet Dwarka Tourist Circuit in Gujarat

3. Heritage Tourist Circuit at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh

The project for development of Bhubaneshwar-Puri-Chilka circuit includes development of interchange nodes, upgradation of protected/ unprotected monuments, development of parking/anchor points, upgradation of approach roads to monuments/temples, lighting of monuments/temples and creation of a multimedia museum.

The project for development of Dwarka-Nageshwar-Bet Dwarka as a mega tourist circuit includes development of beach area, development of parikarama path and lakes, repair and restoration of ghats, development of camping sites for eco tourism and development of a village haat.

The heritage circuit project at Tirupati includes construction of tourist arrival centres/tourist information centres, landscaping, street lighting, drinking water points, relaxation huts, public conveniences and children park with all amusement facilities.

These projects are expected to greatly enhance visitors’ experience in all the mega destinations.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Economic Times.

IT major Infosys today said it would invest Rs 500 crore in Orissa for setting up an SEZ in IT and ITeS sectors and take care of children’s mid-day-meal scheme and healthcare services.

“We have proposed to set up an IT SEZ in Bhubaneswar. The project will require 50 acres of land”, T V Mohandas Pai, Director HR, ER and administration and member of board of Infosys, told reporters here.

… Pai who had been funding mid-day meal for 10,000 school children in Nayagarh district, also agreed to extend the programme to Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, official sources said. Besides, 30,000 children in Puri district were also getting midday meal in Puri district.

“We have been spending Rs 6.50 per child to provide quality food,” Pai said pointing out that Infosys had spent Rs 5.5 crore towards its corporate social responsibility.

Shetty, who had been providing health care service to BPO staff, urged Patnaik to allot five-seven acres of land in the city for setting up a 1,000-bed heart hospital.

As the city was gradually becoming a IT hub of Eastern India with almost all major players opening their development centres, employees required quality heath service, Shetty said.

“We have also requestedthe state government to help Shetty set up a heart hospital here”, Pai told reporters.

Following is an excerpt from an IANS report in thaiindian.com.

India is developing 20 places, including Agra – home to the Taj Mahal – as short-halt destinations to attract more foreign tourists, the tourism ministry said here Tuesday. The 20 sites were selected on the basis of the number of national and international travellers visiting the place. Being a world heritage site was also a factor in the selection, the ministry statement said.

The tourism ministry will provide financial assistance of up to Rs.250 million for development of a mega destination and of Rs.500 million for a mega circuit.

“The ministry’s objective is to ensure that with enhanced investments and an integrated approach, the mega destinations will be developed to maximize their potential,” the tourism ministry’s statement said.

“The resulting increase in tourist inflows, in turn, will lead to economic development and employment generation in and around these places,” the statement added.

The sites are Agra – revitalization of the Taj (Uttar Pradesh), Varanasi-Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh), Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Nalanda (Bihar), illumination of monuments of Delhi (Delhi), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Puri-Bhubaneswar-Konark-Chilka (Orissa), Haridwar-Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), Hampi (Karnataka), Gangtok (Sikkim), Ajmer-Pushkar (Rajasthan) and Kurukshetra (Haryana).

Other sites include Charminar area of Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Jagdalpur-Tirathgarh-Chitrakoot-Barsoo (Chhattisgarh), Dwarka (Gujarat), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Churches of Goa, Ganga Heritage River Cruise Circuit (West Bengal), Vidarbha Circuit (Maharashtra), Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and Amritsar (Punjab).

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Orissa government today entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the K Raheja Corporation for setting up a IT park in Bhubaneswar with ‘Mindspace‘ branding. …

The proposed IT park will be implemented through a joint venture company to be formed between the state owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and K Raheja group. It is expected to be completed in about 3 years and an estimated Rs 250 crore will be invested in the first phase.

Three possible locations at Infocity-I, Infocity-II and Mancheswar Industrial Estate have been identified but the final location will be decided in consultation with the Raheja group.

Proposed to be built over 30 acres of land, the IT park is expected to generate employment opportunities for more than 12,000 persons in next 3-4 years. K Raheja group , which is engaged in the business of infrastructure development, has the experience of developing similar IT parks in places like Hyderabad and Mumbai. …

the park will be developed in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. It will have about 10 lakh square feet of space to be used by different IT and ITeS companies coming to Orissa. As this project is highly employment intensive, it will be beneficial for the state.

Stating that about 3-4 lakh jobs are likely to be created in the IT and ITeS sector of the state, the minister said, the government is trying to achieve Rs 5000 crore software export target set by chief minister Naveen Patnaik well before 2012.

Ravi C Raheja said, that every ‘Mindspace’ IT park developed by the company is green certified.Citing the example of the IT park developed by the group in Hyderabad, Raheja said, the state government expected to generate about 15,000 jobs in 10 years.Within 4 years of starting the park about 50,000 jobs have already been created.The company is targeting to increase it to 1 lakh there. Bhubaneswar IT park will also generate vast employment opportunity for the people.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Planning Commission today suggested the Orissa government to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for three projects for availing of assistance under the viability gap funding (VGF) of the Centre.

These three projects are Rs 3200 crore Samuka Special Tourism Project, Rs 1500 crore Sambalpur-Rourkela road project and the Rs 1500 crore worth Bhubaneswar Solid Waste Management Project.These projects worth about Rs 6200 crore will be implemented on a pilot basis.

"A new format has been developed for availing of the assistance from VGF and the Orissa government will have to prepare a DPR keeping in view the new format and submit it to the Planning Commission", Subash Pani, secretary, Planning Commission said.

After reviewing the projects taken up in the Public-Private-Partnership ( PPP) mode by the Orissa government, Pani told media persons that the Centre can provide upto 20 percent of the project cost under the VGF. So the state government can take advantage of it.

He said, the Centre introduced the VGF last fiscal and no state has availed of the assistance from this fund created with the objective of bridging the gap in funding viable projects taken up in PPP mode.

Pani said, the Orissa government plans to execute 35 important infrastructure projects in PPP mode. While 25 projects are in the pipeline, 10 projects are on going.

The on-going projects include Rs 68 crore Palasapanga- Bamberi road, Gopalpur port, Dhamra Port, Rs 480 crore international convention centre, Rs 146 crore IT and Corporate Tower (Bhubaneswar), Rs 500 crore Info Park(Bhubaneswar), Rs 35.67 crore Knowledge park, Rs 352 crore SEZ-BPO at Mancheswar, Rs 76 crore Commercial and IT Complex at Rourkela.

More details at http://www.idcoindia.com/idco/rpfbbsr.asp.

Following is copied from there:

Following is an excerpt from a report in sify.com. (This report is reasonable; the tall claims about making Naraj like Jamshedpur is reported in Sambada, which is given at the end of the excerpt.)

Optimistic about completion of land acquisition for its 1,000 MW power plant near Cuttack in five months, Tata Power has allayed fears that it may cause air, water and noise pollution and said the thermal unit would adopt latest environmental safety technology.

"We expect the whole process of land acquisition for the Naraj Marthapur coal-based power project to be completed by October, this year," Project Director (eastern region) of Tata Power, Praveer Sinha said.

Maintaining that the company was for fair and just compensation for land, structures and trees, Sinha, who visited the proposed plant site with other company officials, said price for land would be settled through ‘direct win-win negotiations with sellers’.

Rates offered would be higher than benchmark rates fixed by Orissa government, Sinha and other company officials pointed out, adding most advanced technologies would be used in the Rs 5,000-crore project to minimise plant emission.

… Ruling out any adverse impact on the air quality of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar due to the plant, he said water spraying would be undertaken in coal yard area to suppress the dust, while high efficiency electrostatic precipitator would be installed for removal of fly as from the flue gas.

"All these measures would keep emission of ash and coal dust to well below the statutory norms," a senior official at Tata Power’s Jamshedpur plant said, adding flue gas would be released through 275 metre tall stack, three times taller than Qutub Minar.

Explaining the steps to check water pollution, Sinha said fly ash generated from the plant would be stored within the plant premises and it would not be dumped into Mahanadi river or Puri canal.

Fly ash, said another senior executive, would be directly utilised by the cement industry, brick manufacturing, road and pavement construction, fertilisers and for bund preparation in farms. "Therefore, the quality of water in Puri canal or Mahanadi river or Puri canal will not be affected and will not impact marine life at all," he said.

Similarly, he said waste water generated from the plant would be reused within the plant and discharge, if any, was likely to take place only during rainy season when excess water is available.

"Such water will be discharged only after treatment of effluents and its quality will comply with the applicable effluents standards," he said.

Sinha said steps would be taken to ensure that no pollutant material is discharged into the river. Ash would not pollute ground water due to impervious lining of the ash pond into which the ash would be disposed.

Ruling out noise pollution due to the power unit, company officials also made it clear that the machinery and equipment would meet all the national standards of noise limits.

Further, thick green belt would be developed around the project site to minimise the impacts of noise created by transport of coal by railways. Around two lakh trees would be planted in the green belt to absorb dust and noise.

Following is an excerpt from a report in expresshospitality.com.

Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has planned to set up an international convention centre through a public-private partnership model. BK Patel, head (SEZ & Infrastructure Projects) at IDCO, said, "The convention centre will be spread over 25 acres in tie-up with private developers. We have started inviting tenders for the project and expect to reach a decision to begin the project in the coming months."

The convention centre is to be built at a whopping Rs 500 crore and expected to be completed in the next three years. 

Following is an excerpt from a report in odishatoday.com.

"I have already talked with BCCI president Sharad Pawar requesting him to release funds for the infrastructure development of the Railway Cricket Stadium here in Orissa ," Railway Board Chairman and BCCI member Kalyan Coomar Jena said after inaugurating the Stadium here on Monday.

With inauguration of the Stadium, OCA and other cricket bodies could now host Ranji Trophy and other domestic cricket matches in the stadium. And after the expansion work got over, the Stadium could be a venue for the One-Day Internationals.

Railway sources said that the gallery would be made on lines of gallery that are being available in New Zealand.

"We have planned to make the Stadium as world class and facilities would be available on standards of other International venues," Jena, who is one among the policy maker of BCCI, said.

"I also discussed the matter with BCCI Treasure N Srinivasan and I hope, the country’s apex cricket body would release funds under its infrastructure development sachems, he added.

The Stadium is spread over 25 acres of land near here at Railway Workshop having a cricket ground with a boundary of 81 meters radius.

The Railway officials claimed that it would the biggest ever cricket ground in the world. The out field of the ground is planted with baramunda grass. In the first phase, Railway had released Rs 1.5 crore and in the second phase, the Ministry has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the expansion of the Railway Stadium.

Meanwhile, OCA has announced to release a sum of Rs 1 crore in the initial phase, which will be spent on infrastructure development.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

RITES, a central government enterprise and consultancy organisation working in transport, infrastructure and related sectors, has planned the introduce “mass rapid transit system” in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack at an estimated cost of Rs 2,246 crore.

Disclosing this at a Bhubaneswar seminar on traffic status today, transport secretary Priyabrata Patnaik conceded that the Union ministry of urban development is considering the proposal.

If the RITES plan gets the Centre’s nod, it will be implemented within five years and is expected to take care of the traffic problem of the twin cities, Patnaik added.

He said RITES had formulated the plan keeping in mind the demands of the two city’s projected population of 40 lakh by 2031.

The mass rapid transit system will include a light, monorail system in Cuttack stretching from Bidanasi to Central Rice Research Institute and a high-capacity bus system for both the cities.

These buses will run between vantagepoints in both Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Police commissioner B.K. Behera said the traffic police wing has identified as many as 73 parking places across Bhubaneswar. Once these parking spaces are complete, the problem of traffic congestion on the arterial roads would be reduced considerably, he added.

… On the crowded Rajmahal Junction, an eight-lane road is being planned. The tender for the project will be floated within a month, said the chief engineer. Director of estates P.K. Mohanty said 30 vending zones had been created across the city to prevent roadside vending which leads to traffic congestion.

Vice-chairman of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) N.B. Dhal said his organisation would be bringing out a new building norm for high-rises, which would earmark 60 per cent of floor area as mandatory parking space.

BDA is also planning a satellite city on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on a public-private partnership mode, which will also ease traffic load on the main city.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.

Another SEZ (Special Economic Zone) is coming up in the State in the IT sector. Currently, the State has four SEZs in this sector.

It would be set up in 25 acres of land in Bhubaneswar on a Public -Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ECS) and Larsen and Turbo (L&T) would provide the necessary support for establishment of the SEZ. Government will provide the land for this purpose. IT Minister Surjya Naryan Patro said … 1074 acres of land has earmarked for the development of IT services.

Till date Orissa has applied for 14 SEZs, of which 3 have been cleared, six given in principle clearance and five have received formal clearance from the Centre.

Meanwhile, the State Government has urged the Centre to sanction an Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) to boost growth of IT and IT enabled services. The ITIR is being planned in the State will house space for hardware manufacturing units other than having provisions for new integrated townships, special economic zone and industrial parks.

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Economic Times.

CUTTACK: Chairman of Railway Board K C Jena on Sunday inaugurated the wi-fi facility at the railway station here to enable passengers pursue their professional and personal activities even during travel.

Any passenger could access the internet at the station with the help of a wi-fi enabled laptop and use credit card of any bank for online booking, he said.

Jena said the facility, introduced for the first time in the East-Coast Railway division, would help the bonafide passengers to enjoy wireless broadband access, access to reservation system, check e-mail and surf net at platforms while travelling.

The facility, provided by M/s Railtel, was currently available in 53 stations across the country.

In the near future, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Visakhapatnam stations would get the facility, railway sources said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.

The ambitious plan of railways to set up about 100 budget hotels across the country, popularly known as Rail Ratna, has finally got a nod from the Railway Board. Twenty-two of these budget hotels are to be built in the first phase of work which is likely to be taken up soon.

… According to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) director Vinod Asthana, it has been decided to commercially exploit the vacant land of railways across the country. The ambitious budget hotel plan will yield good revenue to railways. IRCTC will go ahead with the plan as approved for the first phase of work, he said.

IRCTC MD Nalin Singhale said the proposed budget hotels will be built and developed on public-private partnership basis with a view to promoting tourism and providing full comfort to tourists.

IRCTC has already selected important places where these budget hotels are to be built. These places are Delhi, Varanasi, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Allahabad, Darjeeling, Sealdah, Lucknow, Mysore, Mumbai, Ooty, Puri, Amritsar, Shimla, Ujjain, Udaipur, Chandigarh, Kanyakumari, Pune, Nagpur and Agra, he said …

… According to sources, the budget hotel project is likely to yield about Rs 4,000 crore annually to railways on its completion. These hotels will be built on thousands of hectares of the vacant land leased out by the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA). Railways have roped in reputed companies of the country to invest in such an ambitious project. Tenders have been finalised and awarded to successful bidders at 20 locations at the country level, sources said.

As per the approved plan, each budget hotel is to be developed on the pattern of plush hotels equipped with all modern facilities. IRCTC has already formulated policies with regard to budget hotels, a Railway Board official said.

… Sources said Railway Board is yet to approve the tariff for each room of the proposed budget hotels. Railways are likely to fix Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 for each plush room of such hotels per night. IRCTC proposes to provide its own quality catering services in these budget hotels.

See details at http://oceanworldwaterpark.com.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Orissa Stevedores Limited (OSL), Hospitality Division plans to update its Bhubaneswar property, The Triumph Residency, to keep pace with the growing competition. Triumph Residency will go through a complete makeover in terms of interiors, rooms and public areas (lobby, bar and restaurants) as well as in terms of the power backup. The renovation process, which will last for a period of seven to eight months, is due to take off in mid-April 2008.

Speaking to Hospitality Biz, Dinesh Kumar, General Manager, OSL, Hospitality Division, said, “Over the past couple of years, the influx of business travellers to Bhubaneswar has gone up to 100 per cent due to various reasons like industrial congestion and high Average Rooms Rates (ARR) in the metros”.

Bhubaneswar has become well connected lately, which has led to an increase in the meetings and conferences held in the city. “The competition has also shot high, as the existing properties like Swosti Plaza and Mayfair are in the process of adding their room inventories. Alongside this, hospitality majors like Radisson, Sarovar Group of Hotels and Best Western Group of Hotels are coming up with their properties,” Kumar said. Ginger Hotels and Hotel Hindustan International are also coming up with hotels in the city with an inventory of 100 rooms.

Triumph Residency plans to add seven more rooms. The hotel will be operational during the renovation period. “With this revamp, we plan to target the high-end business travellers. We foresee ourselves to be at par with properties like Mayfair and Trident. Occupancy is expected to shoot up by at least 30-40 per cent, along with a doubling of ARR,” Kumar added.

Also under consideration at OSL is the possibility to create its own hospitality brand or to rope in any international hospitality major to brand all of its properties. The group is coming up with a 40-room property in Puri. … The property, which is under construction currently, is slated to be operational by the end of 2008.

OSL also plans to build a high-end flagship property at Chandaka, a place in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. “We have already bought the land. We intend to make this 150-key five star property the best in eastern India,” informs Kumar.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Travel Biz Monitor.

“We have adopted this system from places like London and Berlin. Instead of a conducted tour within and outside the city, we will introduce tailor-made sight-seeing options.” The state plans to operate five coaches at a time, covering a minimum of 12-13 destinations. There will be a minimum of 10-15 minutes between each coach’s departure, in order to provide the traveller with ultimate flexibility. One day’s ticket will be issued for travellers who want to enjoy the destinations of their preference.

Conducted city tours were an important revenue-generator for Orissa Tourism. However, they have been converted into the coach service to cater to a growing demand for tailor-made packages, around the globe. “As we have started catering to a large number of international tourists, we had to resort to made-to-order services,” adds Rath.

With an aim to garner additional global business, Orissa Tourism also plans to appoint STPOs across the world, to promote Orissa as an international tourist destination. Rath claims that Orissa Tourism already employs a large number of travel agents and tour operators to sell Orissa packages. However, it is now looking to appoint non-resident Oriyas to promote the state’s tourism.

The STPO scheme will be launched on an experimental basis to garner additional employment opportunities. “We believe that the Oriya community spread all over the world will be instrumental in adding that personal touch to our state’s tourism. Although, the STPOs will not be on a payroll basis, commission against the volume of business generated will be attractive,” says Rath.

The top ten according to Gap Adventures, as mentioned in a Travel Bite, UK, article, is:

• The Indian state of Orissa holds a Chariot festival in July and sees hundreds of thousands of devotees of Jagannath – the lord of the universe – gather to perform a colourful and noisy ritual.

  In the town of Puri gigantic chariots hauled through the main street and the air is filled with the rhythmic clang of metal gongs, the blowing of conch shells and trumpets, and the chanting of holy men.

• A combination of livestock trading and religious festivities provides a truly spectacular experience at the Pushkar camel festival in the Indian state of Rajasthan each November.

  Around 50,000 camels are sold, decorated, shaved and raced during the festival, followed by religious rituals which culminate in thousands of devotees bathing in the holy lake on the full moon.

• Across the border in Pakistan, thousands travel to Shandur in the far north of the country for the world’s highest polo tournament.

  These polo games are not like the modern variety, applying 800-year-old rules that are cut-throat to say the least.

• In Guatemala every March the Semana Santa festival draws thousands to celebrate the rebirth of Christ in a typically Central American combination of Catholic symbolism and Mayan tradition.

  For a whole week the people eat, drink and dance for a fruitful harvest, culminating in a sleepless three-day march of holy statues through the streets.

• One of Mexico’s most macabre and memorable festivals takes place in the beautiful colonial city of Oaxaca – the Day of the Dead.

  This joyful honouring of the lives of deceased family members is on All Hallow’s Eve, when people decorate the graves of their loved ones with flowers, candles and even food.

  The whole community gathers with food, music and mescal (think tequila with a nasty kick) all part of the fun.

• Inti Raymi, or the Festival of the Sun, is Peru’s most famous festival and the week-long event sees huge crowds watching ceremonial processions through the flower-draped streets of Cuzco.

  The ceremony itself takes place on June 24th, when a person representing the Sapa Inca (the emperor) calls for blessings from the sun amid a heady mix of music, prayers and dancing.

• One of the most important festivals in Tibet is the new year celebration of Losar, held over three days in February.

  This colourful, traditional and exotic Buddhist festival features symbolic rituals performed by the yellow-hatted Tibetan lamas, followed by massive parades and fireworks meant to chase off the devils of the old year.

• Mongolia’s Naadam festival echoes the country’s warrior past and the ‘manly games’ involve displays of the three major traditional sports in Mongolia: wrestling, horse racing and archery.

  The festival begins with a big parade down the main street of Ulaan Baatar and travellers can take the opportunity to compete in the events and stay with the nomadic herders in their tent-like ‘gers’.

• Thousands of people gather in Kyoto each May in the hope of witnessing a rarely-seen performance of the geisha dancers of the Pontocho district.

  The Kama-gawa Odori festival has been held since 1872 on the banks of the Kamo-gawa river and is one of Japan’s most celebrated spring geisha dances.

• For something completely different attend the world famous Calgary Stempede in Canada in July, celebrating rhinestone, country music and wide-open spaces.

  The rodeo competition, stage shows, concerts, chuckwagon races and pancake breakfasts held all over the city during Stampede Week offer fun for all.

Do it Online!

Following is from  http://nandankanan.org/adopt-an-animal.asp.

Ever feel like bringing home an animal or bird you are charmed by when you visit the Nandankanan Zoo? Now, you can bring one home in your heart when you contribute to the ‘Adopt an Animal’ programme. Your adopted animal or Bird will remain at the Nandankanan Zoo in the care of Zoo professionals and as a Zoo Parent; you will have the pride of knowing your gift helps to extend better care and welfare to the animal. You will be pleased to know these wonderful animals will be here to stay for many years to come.

Adopt-An-Animal is a great way to add a fascinating animal or bird species to your family! Your new "wild child" won’t really be coming to live with you, though. Instead, you will become a foster parent of sorts. When you adopt an animal, or bird your contribution goes to the animals at the Nandankanan Zoological Park for care, feeding and enclosure enrichment and renovation.

The Adopt a Species program is launched to support the Zoo’s world-class care and services for all inhabitants by providing quality food to meet their nutritional requirements, medical care, equipment, up gradation of the enclosure and enrichments. The Adopt-An-Animal program would benefits the animals directly with all proceeds going toward the care and feeding of the animals at the Nandankanan Zoo!

All the captive animals and Birds at the Nandankanan Zoo would be available for adoption. The Adopt-An-Animal Program would be an annual support program and all adoptions would be for a period of one year or multiple of one month. The animal adopted would remain at the Nandankanan Zoo, receiving proper care and housing.

Be a part of our mission: You may adopt our charming animals and bird species starting at Rupees 500 and up. For your generosity, you’ll receive a "Thank You" in the form of a printable Adoption Certificate, plus exclusive incentives depending on your giving level .

Habitat loss, human encroachment and poaching are just some of the challenges facing endangered animals today. Your support would go a long way for wildlife conservation efforts and would help us provide exemplary care to many endangered species. You can make a difference and your gesture would help to save a species from the brink of extinction. As an Adoptive Parent your contribution would help us to ensure a brighter future for these species.

This would help not only in raising funds, but would also ensure participation of the individuals, corporate bodies and others in the management of the Zoo. Opening the adoption scheme to the public, corporate bodies and institutions would bring them closer to the zoo and heighten their love and passion for the captive animals and birds. By doing this, there will be some involvement of the communities and people towards the zoo. Therefore the Zoo would like to invite philanthropists, institutions and industrial houses and individuals to lend a helping hand by donating liberally to the zoo.

It is proposed to make available all the captive animals and Birds at the Nandankanan Zoo would for adoption. The adopter (Zoo Parent) would pay the amount fixed for each species he would like to adopt. The proceeds would be utilized to support the care and services for all the zoo inmates by providing food, health care, equipment, up gradation of the enclosures and enrichments. The Adopt-An-Animal Program would be an annual support program and all adoptions would be for a period of one year or multiple of one month. No adopters would be allowed to take the animals home. All the adopted animals would remain in the care and custody of the Zoo, and no ownership rights would be conferred. In case of the adopted animal is removed from the collection of the Zoo under exchange programme, the sponsorship will be applied to another animal for the rest of the year of the same species and the adopter would be duely informed. Some popular animals may be allowed concurrent adoptions.

It is proposed to open the animal adoption scheme to the;

• Corporate bodies
• Business houses
• Institutions
• Individuals(Indians,NRIs and Foreigners)
• Families
• School ,Colleges and Universities
• Clubs
• Animal lovers
• NGOs

Animal adopters would receive

• A customised adoption certificate.
• One free entry ticket (to admit maximum 5) for each animal adopted.
• The adopters name would be displayed at the special board at the entry gate.
• Special mention in the Annual Report of the Zoo.

How can you adopt

Please download the adoption form, choose the animal of your choice and fill it up and mail it along with the A/C Payee, Cheque /Demand draft drawn in favour of Director Nandankanan payable at Bhubaneswar in the following address.

Registration Form (257 KB)

Online Registration

Director, Nandankanan Zoological Park
Mayur Bhawan, Saheed Nagar
Bhubaneswar-7, Orissa
Tel : 0674-2547850(0)
Fax: 0674-2547840

You will receive the adoption certificate and the acknowledgment.