Dhanbad’s lone deer park to close next year

The Dhanbad district is a coal mining district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The district headquarters is located nearly 40km away from the deer park, which is the main attraction for picnic revellers in the district and neighbouring West Bengal. The district is planning to close the deer park in early 2018 due to concerns over the animal's welfare. The director of the DVC, Sanjay Kumar, said that they have deposited the required sum of Rs 165 crore with the wildlife division of the state forest department, which is all set to start translocating the deer soon. He said that the process of creating separate enclosures for the deer is in its last leg and that they have plans to start translocating them by the end of January next year. Three checkdams have been built inside the enclosures identified for them in the hazaribag wildlife sanctuary, and solarpowered waterholes have also been created to ensure that there is no water scarcity for them during the lean period. The closure of the deer park is being seen as a big loss to the district, and social activist Anil Pandey is worried that the decision to cancel the license of the deer park by the central zoo authority is "unwarranted."