Mumbai: BMC seeks a temporary contractor for penguins at Byculla zoo

The penguins in their enclosure when the zoo reopened. Pic/Ashish Raje

The BMC has floated a contract for the maintenance of penguins at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, popularly known as Byculla zoo, for a month at a cost of Rs 35 lakh amid the delay in appointing a new contractor. The move comes amid the Opposition slamming the Shiv Sena-ruled civic body for issuing a tender at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore for the maintenance of nine penguins at the zoo for the next three years, following which the contract was referred back in August.

As per the earlier contract the monthly expenses was Rs 32 lakh per month whereas the proposal that was referred back pegged monthly expenses at Rs 42 lakh. The earlier contract, of around Rs 11.46 crore for 36 months, ended in September and was extended by another 42 days. "As the contract is ending in the next few days, we have invited a temporary contract for one month from November 14," said a BMC official.

Eight penguins - three males and five females - were brought from the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea to the zoo in 2016. One of them later died. Two of the penguins had a baby on August 15, 2018, which died soon after on August 22. Thereafter, this year two more babies were born, one in May and another in August. The BMC spent around Rs 100 crore on the enclosure for the penguins. The project has been under criticism for the high maintenance cost.