RJD state president Ram Chandra Purbey (right) protests with morning-walkers outside Patna zoo on Sunday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, May 29: A section of regular morning-walkers has raised objections to the proposed pass system for morning walkers at Patna zoo. Some of them sat on a dharna this morning.

Earlier, when the introduction of the pass system at Patna zoo was announced, a letter had been sent to deputy chief minister Sushil Modi.

State president of Rashtriya Janata Dal Ram Chandra Purbey, a regular morning walker at Patna zoo for the past 31 years, is spearheading this campaign. “The morning walk along the dense green vegetation at Patna zoo is very healthy and energetic for morning walkers. Around 5,000 people from every sphere of the society avail of the facility of fresh and free air at the botanical garden for the past 40 years. Now, the state government is suddenly putting a price on this fundamental right of the citizen. While the government can prevent unwanted expenditure from various sources, there are also other sources to increase the state revenue but it is an irony that the state government is targeting the very fundamental right of the citizen to free air,” said Purbey.

Earlier, Patna zoo authorities had announced that July 1 onwards, morning walkers would have to pay a monthly fee of Rs 60. In case a walker intends to obtain a pass with a validity of three months, he or she would have to shell out Rs 150 as fee, whereas an annual pass would cost Rs 500.

At present, anyone wishing to go for a morning walk in the zoo does not need to pay anything. The free hours start at 5am and zoo gates remain open for such visitors till 7.45am.

Forms for getting these passes would be available from June 1 at a price of Rs 10. The form would have fields to fill up address details and phone number of the person concerned. It would then have to be deposited at the zoo gate along with the pass fee. Two copies of the applicant’s photograph too would have to be submitted along with the form. A money receipt would be issued against this and after completing the process, the zoo would issue passes to the applicants.

“Arian Richman, a faculty member at University of California, has claimed on the basis of his survey that morning walk is important for people suffering from prostate cancer and also for those suffering from diabetes and heart ailments. Even Article 47 of the Constitution states that the state is responsible for improvement in public health. Thus, considering it to be a fundamental duty of welfare towards its pupils, the proposed pass system should be evicted,” added Purbey.