Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park walkers to meet CM against Rs 20 entry

Hyderabad: Walkers at the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park will now have to pay Rs 20, double the earlier tariff, to enter.

The High Court had earlier stayed the order of the proposed hike after the KBR Park Walkers’ Association had filed a petition asking the forest department to rescind the hike.

But, recently the petition was dismissed and in the last couple of days, the park authorities have been charging Rs 20.

The KBR Park Walkers’ Association is now planning to approach Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao regarding the same and say that they will file a case again.

Ramachandra Reddy, the president of the KBR Park Walkers’ Association, said, “Our petition was referred by the High Court back to the forest department asking it to reconsider the decision on the hike. However, the officials refused and the petition was dismissed.

But we are now planning to approach the CM. With KBR being a national park, the department can definitely charge an entry fee in the city. But it cannot suddenly double the price. We are trying to file a case again.”

The monthly fee has been hiked to Rs 400 from Rs 200. For kids, the entry fee has been increased to Rs 10 from Rs 5.

The yearly package of entry fee will be increased to Rs 1,500 from Rs 800 for adults, and to Rs 1,000 from Rs 500 for senior citizens. For now, the charges will be applicable till July next year.

A source from the forest department said, “The maintenance cost for the park has been increasing; it is almost thrice the amount that we spent back in 2006. The total maintenance now costs Rs 89.60 lakh and we had to hike the entry fee for the maintenance.”

Rahul Singhal, joint secretary of the KBR Park Walkers' Association, said that they were planning to take more legal aid and take this issue further.

“We tried several times to convince the forest department officials. But they took no heed. This is the only lung space we have in the area and many walkers frequent the place,” he said.