Poor toilet facilities at zoo irk visitors

Bahadurpura: Visitors at Nehru Zoological Park have to experience stink and lack of water despite paying hefty amount under entry fees. The decades- old park does not have proper facility for face wash/hand wash for the visitors.

The urinals and toilets are also not as per the requirement but there are only a few in the entire park. The one near the entrance is in such a bad condition that people will never like to enter it unless it is an emergency.

Hundreds of people visit recreational spaces like Zoo every day during festival season and the number of tourists coming to Nehru Zoological Park swelled during past few days. However, visitors cannot have access to water for even hand wash or face wash.

Zoo authorities however provided drinking water facility at some places in the zoo but miserably failed in other aspects. Nafees Sultana, a city based home maker, said that she went to the park as it was holiday season only to experience a nightmarish visit.

She said, “Why zoo authorities have failed to provide a piped water to the visitors when they are charging so high for entry. She said people coming to the park along with children would be the most affected. At least they should have make arrangement for proper water accessibility.”

Ironically, the hand wash or such facility is only found in the urinals which are paid and outsourced. These urinals are also not in a good condition rather a classic example of negligence and apathy.

Mohammed Shareef from Adilabad who visited the park along with his children and grandchildren, said that it was tough to find water. He said that wash room he used at zoological park was so dirty and worst for elderly persons.

He said that Zoo Park is spread across acres of land and people had to go by walk or by other vehicles provided by the authorities but there are only one or two urinals. Zoo authorities must think over it and should make arrangements for the same, he said.

Zoo authorities are charging Rs 50 for elders and Rs 20 for every child above the age of 3 years. Thousands of people visit Zoological park every day during lean days and in the festival season.

People stay for long hours in the park and it becomes very difficult for them to find proper water facility. Anjum, mother of two, from Mancherial also expressed her dissatisfaction visiting zoo.

She said, “There should have been proper signage, enough urinals and proper tapped water facilities so that visitors can at least wash their face and hands. This is the minimum authorities can do for the visitors.”