Mangaluru: As a constant step of bringing more amusement to Pilikula, a model of 50 feet tall Eiffel tower was inaugurated at the Pilikula on Wednesday, July 27.

Situated at the park, adjacent to the lake here, the Eiffel Tower promises to add more fun to the engagements in Pilikula.

District in-charge Minister Ramanath Rai inaugurated the tower along with an Education centre, which has come up inside Dr.Shivarama Karanth Biological Park.

Artist Srinivasan from Chennai designed the model of Eiffel tower using metal tubes, at a cost of Rs five lakhs and the area will be spruced up at a cost of another few lakhs said, Bhandary, Executive Director of Pilikula Nisarga Dhama.

The Education centre building was built at a cost of Rs.28 lakhs which was funded by Bharat Petroleum Limited under Corporate Social Responsibility scheme.

He said Rain water harvesting unit is also coming up at Pilikula which is planned to be a model unit. “We are encouraged by the success story of the formation of the Pilikula lake from rain water,” he said adding that government has sanctioned Rs 18 cr for the eco park, which was initially planned at a cost of Rs 5 cr.

This apart, a host of new guests are likely to fly down to Pilikula Zoo. A pair of Giraffe and Zebra from Africa will be part of the zoo soon.

“The transportation cost of a pair of these animals from Africa is likely to be around Rs.80 Lakhs. At present, every year we collect around Rs. 1.5 cr from the entry fee which takes care of the maintenance of the park and salary for staff,” Bhandary said.