ISLAMABAD, April 19: Not just the citizens of Islamabad but the animals in the city's zoo also have been hit by the financial stringency in the Capital Development Authority (CDA), it has been learnt.

Like many development schemes, the city managers have put the much-awaited remodelling of Marghzar Zoo on hold after spending Rs30 million on its designing and initial work.

It has been learnt that not only the allocation for the remodelling project but also funds set aside for maintenance of the zoo have been withheld.

“We got nominal fund - Rs20 million - for the feed, medicines and cleanliness of the cages but nothing for repair and emergency,” said CDA Director General Environment Dr Suleman Sheikh.

An insider said the elephant cage in the zoo was in a dilapidated condition and could cave in anytime. Similarly, cages for leopards needed urgent repair.

“We had asked the finance wing of the CDA for funds to repair the cages but could not get even a penny,” said Rashid Khan, the director of the zoo remodelling project.

However, the DG environment said: “We are hesitant in spending money on the repair work because once the remodelling of the zoo is started all the existing cages will be replaced by new ones.”

Due to poor condition of the zoo, its administration is reluctant to bring in more animals, including lions, giraffes, bears, tigers, crocodiles, hippopotamus, rhinos and eagles.

“It is quite difficult for us to keep all these animals in the zoo due to shortage of cages,” the DG said.

The poor maintenance of the zoo has also increased the mortality rate among animals as its only lion, crocodiles, leopards and some other animals and birds expired during a couple of years.

The civic body did not allocate funds for the zoo remodelling project in its budget 2010-11. The project launched in 2008 was to be completed in 2011 at a cost of Rs400 to Rs450 million annually.

The Rs1.408 billion project was conceived in 2007 and its feasibility and designing was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in 2008. Under the project, the zoo spreading over 40 acres was to be extended to 80 acres with construction of 70 additional animal enclosures.

Agreeing that it was an important project from recreational point of view, Dr Sheikh said: “We have asked the finance wing to provide at least Rs130 million to keep the project running,” he said.

The CDA chairman, Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, was reportedly also of the view that the project should not be stopped. However, he too seems helpless in some matters of the finance wing.

Former chairman Kamran Lashari, who left the civic body in 2009, was quite ambitious about the project and wanted to complete it with international standards by inducting more animals, expanding its area and establishing more cages and enclosures.

The CDA was suggested by the consultants that in order to meet the international standards, the zoo management would have to maintain a proper kitchen for the animals, veterinary clinic, proper cages and enclosures.

At present, the zoo has a leopard, an elephant, ducks, swans, wolves, deer, Neel Gai, monkeys, owls, peacocks, fox, jackals and different spices of birds.