Mysuru: The aquarium at Mysuru Zoo, half-built by the MCC and that has now been handed over to the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) for refurbishing and maintenance was inspected by K.R. MLA S.A. Ramdas last evening.

He suggested to the Zoo authorities to take up refurbishment works soon and make it another tourist attraction.

The aquarium structure, built at a cost of Rs. 4.26 crore, is lying in a state of neglect and had become a place for illegal activities. With the Zoo taking over the responsibility of the aquarium, the city residents and tourists will soon have another landmark tourist attraction.

Inspecting the aquarium along with a team of officials from the Zoo and the MCC, the MLA said that an aquarium was required to project the city as a tourist destination. All over the world, tourist places have either an aquarium or a water park to attract tourists. Having the Zoo nearby will be an added attraction, he felt.

The present aquarium was designed on the lines of Malaysian Aquarium model six years back and Rs. 5 crore was released for the same. Unfortunately, the Aquarium structure was built and due to fund crunch, the place was neglected.

A meeting will be held on Aug. 6 with authorities of different companies handling such huge aquariums, he said. Ramdas asked Zoo Executive Director Ajit M. Kulkarni to ensure that the aquarium works meet the deadline as promised when it was handed over to them.

The MLA said that there must be a separate walkway from the Zoo to the Karanji Lake instead of tourists taking a roundabout route. He drew the attention of Zoo authorities towards the flow of sewage water into the Karanji Lake.

Ramdas said that he will call a meeting soon to discuss the issues faced by the Zoo.