Maharashtra Lokayukta’s Justice (Retd) M.L. Tahaliyani has turned up the heat on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) regarding the death of the 1.5-year-old penguin Dory, asking the civic body to place responsibility of Dory’s death on one entity. Meanwhile, the BMC has admitted that the on-site infrastructure to take care of the penguins provided by the project’s contractor, Highway Construction, was allegedly inadequate. There is no site laboratory and no inventory of the existing materials, according to the civic body.
The Lokayukta said punitive action must be taken against the person responsible for Dory’s death, citing that the issue must not be taken lightly. Justice Tahaliyani will also personally visit the Byculla Zoo next week, and examine the zoo infrastructure’s durability to house the penguins.
The report submitted to the Lokayukta by the BMC reveals that only about 60 per cent of the enclosure was complete before the penguins were brought in. While the construction is yet incomplete, deputy municipal commissioner of general administration Sudhir Naik said, “We are fast-forwarding the construction. But there are some things that are not in our control, which depends on when we get the material, like the acrylic glass panels.”
The Lokayukta conducted a hearing regarding Dory’s death on Friday, based on a complaint received by the leader of the opposition in the BMC, Pravin Chheda. After Mr Chheda complained to the Lokayukta on Thursday, he issued summons to the BMC, with a detailed report on how the penguins were obtained, and how their enclosures were constructed. The next hearing has been scheduled for November 15.
Meanwhile, Mr Chheda has alleged that the penguin died due to negligence on part of the zoo authorities. He said, “The penguins were brought in even though the enclosures to house them for public viewing were not ready.”
