Green areas to be taken for parking?

Hyderabad: Most by-lanes in Tarnaka have 30 feet wide roads with greenery, kitchen gardens and even rain water harvesting pits.

Since the declaration by the Hyderabad Metro Rail, most residents in the first three lanes are worried that their green spaces may be taken away in the name of parking bays for Metro stations.

A senior resident, who did not wish to be named, said, “The roads are choc-a-block, there is no space. If a service road is created as stated, then parking on the Habsiguda, Tarnaka and Mettuguda stretch will be in the by-lanes. Where will the space be created from?”

Some of the residents have for long been claiming that the green spaces are encroachments, while another group claims that it is the beautification and green drive that has been time and again taken up by the municipal corporation.

David Jacob, a resident of Tarnaka, said, “On one side, they want to control pollution and on the other, there is talk about cutting down the green space. What is it that the government wants?”

The increased pollution on the main roads due to the construction work is already a cause for concern, but residents have not raised objections so far. Now with the green spaces being threatened, they are questioning the planning behind the huge project.