More than a thousand people, out to celebrate new year, marked the day by visiting a mine wasteland situated 170 feet above the ground at Gondudih Colliery of Kusunda area of BCCL, on Friday.

The celebrations at Brindavan Eco Park of the Colliery began at around 10 am, as revellers took selfies amid a wide variety of flowers, cooked meals on site, and playing badminton and other games.

Talking to The Telegraph Online at the Venue, Sakshi Kumari, a private school teacher who came with her family to celebrate, said, “I have heard about the site from my relatives at Bhuli (Dhanbad) several times. Fortunately this year I am staying in Bhuli during this time and did not miss the opportunity and came here to celebrate the new year.”

“The view of the site is really good and anybody who has not visited the place will not be able to believe that a wasteland situated on a great height can be developed into a beautiful park” said Kumari.

Puja Kumari, a Bhuli resident who is pursuing her education in Ranchi, said, “As classroom teaching like other institutes is suspended at our institute and we are locked at our homes we decided to celebrate new year at the nearest place. So we arrived here this morning for the first time and found the place beautiful.”

Puja said she and her close ones have been carrying masks and sanitisers, and were enjoying their time while following all the Covid-related guidelines.

Ramayan Prasad, the in-charge of the Brindavan Eco Park and a BCCL Foreman, said that the ground is situated on 11.2 acres of land and is home to over 25,000 varieties of plants -- from flower trees, fruit trees, to medicinal plants.

“We have a workforce of 12 BCCL staff to look after the upkeep. People start to come here from 6 am and the crowd remains till 7 pm,” Prasad said.

He added that the development of the eco park began in 2014 when BCCL offered 2.5 acres of land, and the area increased gradually over time.

“We have sufficient seating arrangement at the site, with benches made of bamboo,” he said, adding that people can stand at the top of the park to get a beautiful view of the adjoining Gondudih Colliery.

Talking about safety protocols, the in-charge said, “We are not allowing entry of people without masks and sanitisers. For those who forget to bring the items from home, we are providing them with the same.”