Dikhyaa Mohanty 
If all goes according to plan, visitors will be able to visit the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in the capital city of Odisha at night. According to sources, the Forest department has filed a master plan to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in this respect. Currently, visitors are welcome at the zoo until 5 p.m. According to reports, the Forest department has requested that the CZA keep the zoo open until 8 p.m. According to the proposal, NZP will offer night safari services.
The Forest Department has also suggested in the master plan that the zoo be made larger by bringing the woods of Krushna Nagar and Choodanga within its purview. The development would increase the zoo’s physical footprint to 1,043 hectares. The state government made the decision to upgrade NZP into a top-tier zoo in June of this year.
There would be two phases to the development work at NZP. The first phase, from 2023 to 2025, would see the development of Nandankanan and the Botanical Garden. According to reports, the second phase will see the development of a night safari, a safari complex, and other amenities at the nearby Choodanga forest from 2025 to 28. As part of the development project, the zoo will include tunnel aquariums, water bird aviaries, immersive enclosures, modern frontages, landscaping, and other cutting-edge amenities for the guests.
