CM Inaugurates Upgraded Safari Zoo

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2024) Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, along with the Punjab Cabinet, inaugurated the upgraded Safari Park here on Saturday.

The project has been completed in a record period of time and opened after its upgradation.

The CM, along with the provincial ministers, conducted a detailed two hours visit of the Safari Park. Mohsin Naqvi by paying from his own pocket bought tickets for himself, for the ministers and for the officers at the Information Centre.

The CM expressed his affection with the children of SOS Village who came to visit the Safari Park. He visited the lion and tiger safari in a special vehicle and directed to further improve the loin and tiger safari. He witnessed lions roaming in an open and free environment from the vehicle. He also witnessed the Hologram Zoo by wearing special glasses and expressed his affection with the Panda through the hologram Zoo. He expressed his keen interest in the Hologram Zoo. He underwent a safari visit to witness the salt range, ostrich, deer, stag, kudu, aryal and other animals.

Mohsin Naqvi visited the Desert Safari, Aquarium and took a round of the entire park. Secretary Communication & Works and Secretary Forest gave a briefing about the Safari Park project.

Later, talking to media, the CM said that today is our last working day and tomorrow the election of the new Chief Minister would take place. "We had made a promise with the children to upgrade the Safari Park and Lahore Zoo whose completion was part of our priorities" he said. The Safari park has been opened for the children, children should visit it and they would definitely feel overjoyed, he added.

The entry of school students would be free for one month in Safari Park.

Earlier four new elephants were supposed to arrive but owing to the best efforts of the team, six instead of four new elephants are coming at the same price, he added. Earlier, there was not a single elephant in the Safari Zoo and now six elephants are coming. Hopefully, up-gradation of the Lahore Zoo would be completed soon, he vowed. 100 types of new animals would arrive in the Lahore Zoo and Safari Park. An excellent aquarium has been built in the safari park and night safari facility would be provided. Excellent arrangements have been made for the corporate sector in the Safari Park.

The CM apprised that 90 percent work of Lahore Zoo and Safari Park has been completed and only 10 percent work is remaining, Secretary Forest and DG Wildlife worked hard day and night, he mentioned. It was impossible to upgrade two big zoos in a short span of time. Secretary to CM personally supervised the upgradation of the Safari Park, he said. Provincial Minister Bilal Afzal worked with a great amount of hard work on the Lahore Zoo and Safari Park Upgradation Project, he acknowledged. Every Provincial Minister was assigned the responsibilities to oversee the upgradation work of the hospitals and were also assigned other responsibilities, he said.

The CM commended the performance of Secretary C&W Sohail Ashraf who made everything possible which seemed to be impossible. Mohsin Naqvi congratulated the children on the completion of the upgradation project of the Safari Park and Lahore Zoo. He remarked that he has an excellent team of bureaucracy working with him. "If I worked for 10 hours then the bureaucracy worked for 16 hours. We were offered a loan of Rs. 180 billion on soft terms but we refused it as the burden of debt was increasing on the Punjab government," he said.