Sambalpur: The second Nandankanan set up proposal is uncertain

The state’s second Nandankanan will be established in sambalpur. It has been announced for less than two decades that the largest zoo will be set up in the Lakshmi Dunguri Hills and its adjoining forests between Sambalpur and Burla. To date, however, not a single inch of the zoo has progressed. As a result, the prospect of indirect employment to tourism development has also been dashed. About a decade after the announcement, Lakshmi Dunguri proposal rejected, and the government still had an alternative proposal about 7 years ago. To date, however, no steps have been taken in this direction. As a result, this huge project is now being pushed into uncertainty. It was only after the new government came to power in 2000 that the state’s second Nandankanan was announced in Sambalpur. In September of that year, the Minister of Forests and Environment announced in the Assembly. That same year, a tiger from Nandankanan was died when shifted to Gujarat. It was only after this incident that the government announced plans to set up a second Nandankanan in Sambalpur in the state. For this purpose, the Lakshmi Dunguri hills and adjacent forests between Sambalpur and Burla and on Hirakud Road were identified. The site was set up on a 100-acre site.

In June 2011, the then Minister for Forests and Environment, Devi Prasad Mishra, reiterated the same old declaration in the Assembly. He also announced that the CJAI’s permission would be obtained by October of that year. Still, things stopped. In view of this, the proposal to set up Lakshmi Dunguri by 2013 was rejected. Pollution from Hirakud Dam and Reservoir, Hirakud Smelter and Power Plant will have adverse effects on wildlife thats why the site got rejected.

Later, in 2014, Dr. Raseshwari Panigrahi became legislator, raising questions in the Legislative Assembly. Alternatively, the zoo was proposed to be set up in Chandlidunguri, near Nildunguri in Padiabahal. And the government has taken the proposal seriously. However, due to both political and administrative implications, the fate of the project is still uncertain. However, after contacting Dr. Raseshwari Panigrahi, a former legislator, Lakshmi Dunguri proposal cut and proposed for Chandlidunguri near Nildunguri. She also promised to take positive steps. However, the government is certainly looking forward to implementing the project.