CHENNAI: All visitors arriving at the Vandalur zoo, including those without prior online bookings, would be allowed free entry, announced Forest Minister Ranjith Kumar.
The decision was taken after confusion and protests at the zoo after a large number of people turned up after the government waived off the entry fee to mark Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s birthday on Monday (June 22).
According to a Daily Thanthi report, the announcement came after large numbers of people turned up at the zoo expecting free admission, only to be informed by the administration that entry was restricted to only those who had obtained online tickets.
The decision led to arguments between visitors and zoo officials, creating a tense situation at the entrance.
Earlier, the minister had announced free entry on Saturday and Sunday to mark the birthday of TVK president and Chief Minister Vijay. The offer applies to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Amirthi Zoological Park, and Kurumbapatti Zoological Park, with the Minister stating that he would personally bear the cost of the initiative.
At the Vandalur zoo, all 40,000 free tickets (20,000 per day) for the two-day period had already been booked online. However, many members of the public who arrived without online reservations were initially denied entry, prompting complaints and confusion.
In response, Ranjith Kumar issued a fresh clarification stating that all visitors arriving without tickets would also be permitted to enter the zoo free of charge. The move is expected to ease crowd-related concerns and ensure that members of the public are not turned away during the two-day free-entry programme.