Giraffe and zebra can now be seen along with lions and tigers in Vadodara: Hi-tech 'wildlife safari park' to be built in Ajwa, Rs 100 crore annual earning, target of 4500 new jobs

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation has planned the Ajwa Wildlife Safari Park to promote eco-tourism in the eastern corridor of the city and as part of the Statue of Unity tourism circuit. The project had been put up for approval for some time now. Once the project is finally approved, the first phase will be completed in the next one and a half to two years. The tourism circuit around Vadodara will increase The wildlife safari park is planned to be built on a vast plot of land of about 150 acres at Ajwa, about 20 km from Vadodara city. The main objective of this project is to boost wildlife conservation, environmental education and tourism in Vadodara and its surrounding areas. Earlier, the project was thought to be awarded on PPP basis, but due to lack of success in it, now the Vadodara Municipal Corporation is going ahead with the project itself. Plans to build Ajwa Safari Park for 7-8 years: Pratyush Patanwadia Necessary approvals have also been obtained from the Central Zoo Authority for the project. Pratyush Patanwadia, zoo-curator of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, said, "The Ajwa Safari Park was planned for 7-8 years. The safari park will be built on the theme of the World's Tropical Zoo. Ajwa will become a major center of tourism. He added that the approach of the state government is to include the project in the tourism circuit with Champaner (Pavagadh), Kevadia so that people can plan trips of three to four days to people in the area. Approval as a sub-division of Sayajibagh This safari park will be the center of attraction not only for Indians but also for exotic animals and birds. At present, there is a Sayajibagh Zoo in Vadodara, but it cannot be expanded now. While the zoo, located in the heart of the city, has been limited due to lack of space, there is no space for large animals of public attraction such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, which have been approved for the park as part of the satellite exchange facility. The park will also serve as an educational hub for students. Termed by the government as the best revenue generated project Pratyush Patankar said the project which was stalled for the past several years due to technical reasons has now been revived. The DPR of the project has been submitted to the state government which has been highly appreciated. The project is being considered as the best revenue generating project. This park is part of the efforts of the state government to promote tourism at Kevadiya and encourage people to spend more time here. Estimated Cost and Financial Aspects of the Project Vadodara Municipal Corporation has allocated Rs 10 crore initially for the preliminary work of the project and development of animal housing. Apart from this, the state government's tourism department had also allocated a grant earlier for the development around this garden and safari area. Once fully functional, the Safari Park is expected to generate direct revenue of around Rs.85 to Rs.100 crores per annum. The total economic impact is expected to be between Rs 136 crore and Rs 250 crore taking into account its associated activities and surrounding economic development. Benefits in employment and tourism The project will be opened in three phases. The first phase is expected to be completed in less than two years. This mega project will give a big boost to the local economy of Vadodara. Corporation estimates that the project will generate new employment opportunities of about 3375 to 4500 which includes 900 to 1200 direct jobs and other indirect employments. Apart from this, the safari park is also expected to attract large scale private investment in the hospitality sector such as hotels, resorts, eco-logies and weekend homes in and around Ajwa Road. How will this park be different from Kevadia? Design enclosures of good interface from Kevadiya will be put up here. Kevadiya has mountains and high and low terrain by nature, while the Safari Park being built here will be built on flat land, so that the park will be created artificially in such a way that mountains, high and low terrain and animals can feel like a forest. The plan is to bring animals from four zones — South Asia, Africa, Australia and South America — to the park. Features of the Project