Members of the Nandan Kanan Surakshya Committee and Rajib Forum of Bhubaneswar protest against death of animals in Nandan Kanan. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 31: More than 3,000 tourists waited anxiously outside the main gate of Nandan Kanan zoo here as the entrance was blocked by the members of two voluntary organisations who demonstrated against alleged mismanagement of the park.

The protestors, belonging to Nanadan Kanan Surakshya Committee and Rajib Forum of Bhubaneswar, also demanded opening of the road connecting villages around the park. The park authorities closed the road sometime ago.

The protestors later submitted a memorandum to the director of the park demanding proper care of the animals and measures to prevent thefts in the zoo. They also sought steps to ensure proper functioning of the ropeway and the toy-train in the park. They also demanded that authorities should make special arrangements for picnickers in the botanical garden.

“In the last few years, several animals have died in the zoo. We want the authorities to be careful about the maintenance of the animals. Besides, the ropeway in the park frequently goes out of order and the toy-train stops functioning. Such things should not happen,” said Suresh Routray, former minister and president of the Nandankanan Surakhya Committee.

The protestors said that the villagers of Daruthenga panchayat wanted access to the road, which passes through the park as it will minimise the distance from the main road to these villages. “The villagers have been demanding rights to use the road. They should be allowed access to it,” said Manoranjan Dash, president of Rajib Forum.

As the strike continued for over an hour, the large number of tourists who had come to visit the park had to wait outside the park. The protest was called off only after the authorities agreed to consider the demands of the protestors.

The protestors, however, said that they did not have any intention to stop people’s entry into the park on December 31 but they were forced to take such a step for the alleged mismanagement of the park authorities.

The director of Nandan Kanan, Sudarshan Panda, said that the protestors had not intimated them in advance about their protest plans. “They should have talked to the authorities if they had any grievance. They should not have blocked tourists’ entry in this manner,” he said.

Stating that villagers were not allowed free entry into the park as they were prone to entering the area with their two wheelers and four wheelers, Panda that said such demands are not acceptable.

The park attracts more than 30,000 tourists on December 31 and January 1. On December 26, more than 31,000 tourists had visited the park, which was a record in the history of the park since its establishment in 1960.