Cuttack’s second deer park on anvil

Cuttack: The four-legged beauties at sole deer park at in Cuttack will shortly get a new home as the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has identified new site in the outskirts of the city.

The new site has been identified near Munduli for setting up the proposed second deer park project which has been hanging balance for the last six years.

Nearly 39 acres of land belonging to the revenue department has been identified while the process of the mega project is expected to start soon after the transfer of patch in the name of the corporation, official sources said.

Though two acres of patch was earlier identified near Subhadrapur for the second deer park, it had to be scrapped last year as a team of Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had advised to build the deer park in over 20 acres of land which was not available.

The new site identified for the second deer park project near Mundali is some 10 to 12 kms from Cuttack and already a technical team of CMC with Dampada tehsildar had conducted an inspection of the land which is feasible for the mega project.

Chairperson, CMC standing committee on parks and plantations, A. Sridevi said, the land for the new site for the second deer park partly comes under forest and irrigation departments.

“Once all the paper works for the transfer of land after necessary clearance is completed, the work for the second deer park would begin,” said Sridevi.

Also Read: Not So Dear Deers In Cuttack Park

Sridevi further informed that the already a special committee has been formed by the corporation to expedite the necessary formalities as already the existing deer park at Madhusudannagar is overcrowded with deer population.

A senior corporation official said that already the district administration has been moved for completing the necessary formalities of land transfer to the housing the urban development department.

Once the land is handed over, the work for the development of the site and other facilities for the visitors would start.

As per plans, the civic body would also set up a modern recreational facilities for visitors including a food park at the second deer park at Mundali which would be another major tourist attraction and amusement centre in the Cuttack.

The second deer park project was earlier mooted by the civic body in 2010 with an objective to resolve the basic problem of overcrowding of animals at the existing deer park at Madhusudan Nagar here in the city.

The deer park at Madhusudan Nagar was established in 1981 on 2.5 acres of land with only five animals. The total population at the park has now crossed 173 creating problems for the proper movement on the animals here.

The Central Zoo Authority has time and again adviced the CMC for shifting of excess animals from the existing Madhusudan Nagar deer park to another place.