(IN): Apathy has rubbed sheen off Salt Lake deer park, say locals

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Apathy has rubbed sheen off Salt Lake deer park, say locals

2 Jul 2009, 0516 hrs IST, Debamoy Ghosh & Suman Chakraborti, TNN

 

The deer park on the banks of Kestopur Canal in Salt Lake, once a major

attraction for not only local residents, but even outsiders, has now lost much

of its sheen. With only two deer inside the centre, even locals have lost

interest.

 

 

The centre, spread over two hectares, was set up about 30 years back, named

the Salt Lake Deer Research Centre. Old-timers recall that the centre, which

once housed several deer, monkeys, tortoises, snakes, various species of

birds, bears and black bucks, had an almost zoo-like atmosphere.

 

Things started changing after 2002, with a decline in the number of

animals.

Locals alleged that illegal constructions sprouted inside with the support

of the forest department that administers it. Coupled with the rows of cars

parked along roads leading up to it, its zoo-like atmosphere faded.

 

But even till end-2005, there were about 10 deer inside. Its character

changed completely in 2006, when it was renamed the Transit Facility and

Wild Animal Rescue Centre. Since then, the objective shifted from keeping

deer to only rescuing them. " Now, the primary objective of the centre is to

rescue ailing deer, treat them and send them back to the zoo, " said North

24-Parganas divisional forest officer (wildlife headquarters)

A K Chakraborty.

 

After Friday's death of a deer, allegedly at the hands of poachers,

residents of Salt Lake, who once thronged it, alleged that many more deer

have been similarly killed and sold off. This, they said, had led to a sharp

decline in their number.

 

" Deer have been killed and sold off. There has been utter neglect in

maintaining the centre, once the pride of the township, " said Bhupendranath

Chatterjee, secretary, Salt Lake Citizens' Welfare Society. " Poaching has

taken place quietly here. There is no monitoring whatsoever by the

forest department

authorities. The lethargic attitude of the authorities has led to

its degradation. It is unfortunate that Salt Lake is slowly becoming a

concrete jungle. Immediate attention should be given to save the park, " said

Bidhannagar Welfare Association secretary Basab Aich.

 

After Monday's arrest of four guards of the private security agency that

presently guards the centre, chief wildlife warden S B Mandal said they

would soon hire a new set of security guards and that they were planning to

change the security agency, too. Though the arrested persons claimed they

were sleeping when outsiders entered after scaling the barbed-wire fence and

killed the deer, investigating police officers suspect that poachers may

have had good links with them.

 

 

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