Zoological park named after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee to come up near Hampi

BALLARI: A zoological park named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is coming up at Kamlapur near Hampi Kannada University in the district at a cost of Rs 34 crore.

The Zoo Authority of Karnataka is undertaking the project on 142 hectares which had been sanctioned by the government, an official of the proposed park said.

The park was cleared by the BJP government in the state in 2011.

An amount of Rs 20 crore had already been sanctioned for the park, of which works worth Rs nine crore had been initiated. Tenders had been invited for Rs 11 crore worth works, Divisional Forest Officer Nagaraja Naik, who is involved in the project, told PTI.

The park will have a zoo. It will also offer tiger, bear and deer safari for tourists, he said.

The park is expected to emerge as an added attraction for tourists, particularly those from overseas, who come to visit Hampi, the seat of erstwhile Vijayanagar empire and a UNESCO world heritage site, he said.