Chief minister Tarun Gogoi makes a point during his address at Judges Field on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, May 19: As the Tarun Gogoi government celebrates two years in office with a lavish fortnight-long bash, employees of the Assam State Zoo are busy trying to keep the show going at the zoological park with contributions from their salaries.

The zoo employees have already set up a society for the development of the zoo and wildlife conservation.

The idea of setting up the society was mooted by Narayan Mahanta, divisional forest officer (DFO) in charge of the zoo, earlier this month. He recommended minimal financial contributions from all, including the casual staff, for upkeep of the zoo and its development.

“I convened a meeting of all the people working in the zoo, including the casual labourers, and gave them the idea of forming a society so that everybody is accountable. Everybody agreed to set up the society immediately,” the DFO told The Telegraph.

Mahanta said he was confident that the society would strengthen the bond between the employees. “I made it very clear that nobody would be forced to join the society, that it was a matter of individual choice. The response was overwhelming.”

The society has a constitution, as per which permanent employees have to contribute Rs 10 every month and the casual labourers half that amount. “We believe our joint initiative will boost the zoo’s image, which has taken a beating because of various reasons,” Mahanta said.

On whether the government knew about the existence of the society, the DFO said forest minister Pradyut Bordoloi and the chief wildlife warden of the forest department had been informed of the zoo employees’ decision.

“We have fallen short of funds on many an occasion. Hopefully, the society and the small contributions that go into it will take care of the problem,” he said.

The money collected from the employees will be used for the development of the zoo, conservation of wildlife, staff welfare and awareness programmes. “We will soon be registered under the Societies Registration Act. We intend to explore the possibility of getting donations for the development of zoo,” Mahanta said.

To mobilise additional resources, the society has decided to sell caps bearing the Assam State Zoo logo to visitors. “Booklets on the animals in the zoo will be sold at Rs 2 each to interested visitors. These booklets will increase public awareness about wildlife and make people realise that a visit to the zoo is not just about picnicking,” the DFO said.

The zoo is spread across 175 hectares and has 533 animals from 89 species, some of which are endangered.