₹58 crore tender seeks new entrance plaza for Delhi Zoo

The Union environment ministry has floated a ₹58-crore tender to redesign and build Delhi Zoo’s entrance plaza, including a vehicle drop-off zone, surface parking, a foot overbridge, visitor centre, ticket gates and an outdoor cafeteria.

The Civil Construction Unit issued the tender on August 20. No prospective bidder attended the pre-bid meeting and no queries were received, though the tender terms remain unchanged. The selected agency will have about three months to develop the final design, followed by a 15-month construction period.

Inside the zoo, an agency has already been selected to plan upgrades including glass enclosures, a central plaza, water bodies, landscaped areas, a modern animal hospital, incinerators, a postmortem house, feed sections and an interpretation centre. The plan also includes a second entry gate from the Bhairon Mandir side and new roads.

Established in 1959, Delhi Zoo houses 95 species. Its ₹400-crore revamp is planned in segments over four years. Zoo director Sanjeet Kumar said construction can begin after designs for the exterior entrance and interior upgrades are finalised.