Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, the minister of forests, environment, and climate change, told the state parliament on Tuesday that the Nandankanan Zoological Park brings in an average of 1.77 crore rupees a month from a variety of services and activities. The park employs 106 people in the “D” category, 5 in the “B” category, 35 in the “C” category, and 6 in the “A” category, according to the Minister’s response to a question from Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati. When combined, these workers’ monthly earnings come to an average of Rs. 64.17 lakh.
The Minister further said that 40 employees of the Department of Land Resources (DLR), 35 employees of the Odisha Industrial Security Force, 15 retired army officers, and 399 employees of other organizations had been stationed in the State Botanical Garden and Nandankanan Zoological Park. The total monthly salary expense for all of them is around one crore rupees. The Minister also disclosed that the zoo makes 1.77 crore rupees a month from the sale of tickets for tourist entry, safaris, battery-powered vehicles, ropeways, children’s trains, boat rides, multi-vehicle lodging, restaurants, souvenir shops, and fees at ATMs. On average, though, visitors spend 1.69 crore rupees a month at the park.
