Lahore: The Punjab Wildlife Department has decided to award the e-ticketing contract for various facilities at Lahore Safari Zoo, including parking and general area entry, to a private company.
The e-ticketing contract will be auctioned on August 6.
Following the revamping of Lahore Safari Zoo, Punjab Wildlife has begun preparations for the involvement of the private sector.
The care and management of the animals and birds in the safari park will remain under the Punjab Wildlife Department.
The park administration has decided that a private company will handle the sale of e-tickets for parking, entry tickets, lion and tiger safari tickets, electric vehicle tickets, and aquarium entry.
Facilities for electric rides and horse riding are already managed by the private sector.
The private company will also be responsible for the maintenance and repair of electric vehicles and safari vehicles used for the lion and tiger safaris.
According to Punjab Wildlife, the e-ticketing contract auction will be held on August 6.
Prior to this, on July 29, the documents of participating parties will be reviewed, and the successful company will need to deposit a security amount of 1.6 million rupees.
The reserve price for the e-ticketing contract auction is set at 80 million rupees.
DG Punjab Wildlife Mudassar Riaz informed Express News that the successful private company will sell tickets at the department’s set rates and will not have the authority to increase ticket prices on its own.
He mentioned that the e-ticketing contract will be for a two-year period, with the possibility of a one-year extension afterward.
Mudassar Riaz added that the goal is to award the contract at least 5 to 6 times the current value, which will not only increase the safari park’s revenue but also prevent any corruption related to ticket sales.
He also noted that the company will deploy its own staff for the e-ticketing process, addressing the current shortage of workforce at the safari park.
The existing wildlife staff will continue to focus on the care and welfare of the animals and birds.