GHMC seeks help from RWAs to maintain parks in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Despite the GHMC’s urban forestry wing being given a huge budget, the corporation is asking colony welfare associations to maintain society parks on a 70-30 basis – 70 per cent to be given by the GHMC and the remaining by the RWAs.

The maximum the corporation pays per park is Rs 5,000. But this is not enough for the RWAs to even hire gardeners, let alone watering plants, maintaining pathways, re-laying lawns or flowerpots. Due to this, many colony parks lie neglected.

Mr Ashwin Kumar, president of the Shanthinagar RWA, said, “The GHMC has been negotiating this for a long time. Expenditure is calculated as per the park’s size. Shanthinagar has two parks. The GHMC pays us Rs 3 per square yard for the tree park. It is difficult to maintain and the payments are very irregular, every quarter we have to submit the bill to the zonal commissioner to release the amount and we get the money every six months. Meanwhile we have to maintain them with the RWA’s budget.”

“Neglected parks have become drinking areas for many and are also home to snakes and other reptiles. If the GHMC maintains it, the RWA can protect it by installing a gate and restricting entry of strangers.”