Following the receipt of a solitary bid for the establishment of an aviary in Nahur village, the BMC has reopened the search for project management consultants (PMCs). Companies interested in the project have been given a week to submit their proposals. The Nahur aviary will serve as an extension to the existing one in Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo at Byculla, providing an additional attraction for residents and tourists in the eastern suburbs.
BMC's initial tenders
The BMC initially invited tenders for PMC to develop a detailed project report (DPR) for the aviary on November 3. The proposed aviary will cover a 6,381 sq.m. area reserved for gardens and parks in Nahur village, Mulund West. The selected consultant will assess the entire plot and local climatic conditions to determine suitable species of exotic birds for the sanctuary. The aviary will house birds from Byculla zoo and include a few exotic species obtained through exchange programs with other zoos. Approval for the design will be sought from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Unfortunately, only one bidder in the city expressed interest in the initial tender. Consequently, the BMC has initiated a new tender process.
'We have to invite tender thrice'
A senior civic official stated, "The firm bidding for the project should have experience in this field. Unfortunately, we had received only one bid by the tender submission deadline. According to the rules, we have to invite the tender three times. If the response remains the same, then the single bidder will be awarded the contract."
This is not the first attempt by the BMC to establish a bird park in the city. The initial proposal emerged in 2013 with an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore, allocating a 25-acre plot in Powai to house a substantial bird and reptile population. Although a project consultant was appointed to develop the master plan, numerous delays led to the project's cancellation. A similar fate befell the proposal in 2019. Presently, the Byculla zoo features an 18,234 sq ft aviary, standing 44 feet tall and housing 222 birds across 16 species.
