BAHAWALPUR: The Punjab government has approved a three-year programme worth Rs200 million for the Bahawalpur zoo.

Curator Ayub Sabir told Dawn that the funds would be released in phases under the annual development programme (ADP) during the next three years. The amount would be utilised for the improvement of zoo infrastructure, renovation and rehabilitation.

According to him, the Rs200m programme to be implemented from July 2017 to June 30, 2020 would include establishment of a lecture theatre, a slaughterhouse, renovation of cages, animals facilitation works.

He claimed that it was for the first time that the government would spend such a big amount on the zoo.

The curator said the lecture theatre [on zoo premises] was aimed at arranging wildlife education and creating awareness about animals look-after and adopting precautionary measures for cages of lions, Bengal tigers and bear.

He said after July 2017 [when the amount would be placed at the disposal of zoo management] the PC-I would be prepared for the establishment of lecture theatre with a capacity of 250 to 300 participants. He said the existing vacant building of the aquarium of the zoo might be converted in to a lecture theatre.

The slaughterhouse would be set up to check quality of beef for wild animals.

EASTER: The Christian community on Sunday observed Easter amid tight security arrangements.

According to Regional Police Officer Muhammad Idrees Ahmed, as many as 1,400 personnel were deployed at 76 churches across the three districts of the region. Visitors were frisked at walk-through gates and police patrolling was intensified around the churches.

OUTAGES: The Multan Electric Power Company on Saturday night increased [unscheduled] loadshedding in the city and suburbs.

Loadshedding has been increased from about six to 10 hours. When contacted, Mepco officials said the [outages] schedule was being implemented by the board of management, Islamabad, and it would continue till their orders.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2017