Bhubaneswar: There is good news for visitors to Nandankanan with the works department finalising tender for construction of the long-awaited multi-level car parking facility and a modern bus stand for the zoo here.

The facilities were planned to address difficulties that visitors to the zoo faced in the absence of adequate parking space for four or two-wheelers. This apart, the absence of parking space for tourist buses inconvenienced visitors a lot.

"It is one of the most popular tourist sites in the city. I used to go to the zoo once in a fortnight with my family, but I avoided using my personal vehicle for the lack of parking space and security. I preferred to hire cabs or use public transport to visit the zoo," said Sailashree Vihar resident Pabitra Jena.

In August 2016, the works department had come up with the plan to construct the parking facility and the bus stand near the zoo.

The design and other details of the project were sent to the state forest department for approval in the same year and the tender for it was called in early 2017.

"We had earmarked Rs 35 crore for the two projects initially, but after the tender process the cost was revised to Rs 25.32 crore following a proposal from the selected bidder. The project and the cost have been approved. The work will begin in a month or two," said a senior official of the works department.

On an average, Nandankanan enjoys a daily footfall of 10,000, while nearly 700 vehicles bring in the visitors.

"It became a necessity to have a regulated parking facility and a bus terminal as many people coming here use public transport. These two facilities will help the visitors to a great extent," said Nandankanan director Sisir Acharya.

Sources said the zoo authorities would collaborate with the works department and other city agencies to clear the sites identified for the projects.

The multi-level car parking will have space for parking at least 300 cars and 500 two-wheelers at a time, while the bus stand will have enough space to accommodate tourist and city buses as well.

At present, only one city bus runs between Nandankanan and Biju Patnaik International Airport.

There are plans to run three more buses to the tourist site by September.

"We are increasing the fleet of city buses in Bhubaneswar. These new buses will run in almost all parts of the city, including Nandankanan," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

Residents also welcome the move to create parking facilities at the zoo.

"The bus stand and car parking lot were two much-needed facilities at Nandankanan," said Rasulgarh resident Suchismita Mishra.