Bengal Safari Park gets a visitors' waiting room and modern canteen

Darjeeling: West Bengal Tourism Minister Gautam Deb on Thursday inaugurated a visitors' waiting room and a canteen at the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri. The minister also stated that construction work of "Karma Tirtha," a market complex, opposite the Safari Park is scheduled to commence after the Durga Puja festival.

"There was no waiting room for visitors at the safari park. Sometimes when there is a rush, visitors have to wait in the open with long queues for the elephant safari and toy train ride. The visitors' waiting room with a sitting capacity for 50 persons has been constructed at a cost of around Rs. 14 lakhs" stated Deb.

Along with this, a modern canteen has also come up at the park. "The new canteen with a modern pantry, kitchen, sitting arrangement, counter, safe drinking water and toilets has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 20 lakhs. The forest protection group that runs the temporary canteen will be running this canteen," added Deb.

Work on the "Karma Tirtha" project will start after pujas. "We have got a 5 acre plot from the forest department on which the two-storied market complex will be built at a cost of Rs. 86 lakhs. It will have 14 stalls that will be run by self-help groups selling local handicrafts and produce on the lines of souvenir shops," added the Minister.

The Bengal Safari, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was inaugurated in 2016. It is spread over an area of 200 hectares.