Hyderabad: The wait for new lung spaces in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority jurisdiction will get longer. To improve the air quality and groundwater levels, chief secretary S.K. Joshi had instructed officials of various government departments in August to construct more than 50 urban parks in and around the city. He asked the official to seek the help of the Environment Protection Training & Research Institute (EPTRI) to conduct the baseline survey for impact assessment, to check ground water levels and air quality. He asked officials to immediately call tenders and complete them by 2019.
However, due to the apathy of officials, the project came to a grinding halt and they did not even initiate the survey. Since the model code of conduct (MCC) has come into force, government departments cannot invite fresh tenders until December.
As per the plan, 59 reserved forests will be modelled on the KBR National Park in Banjara Hills where a small portion of the forest, about 10 per cent or less, will be developed as a garden for the public and the remaining will be kept as a conservation zone into which the public will not be allowed. Departments including Urban Forestry (15 parks), HMDA (17 parks), Tourism Department (7 parks), TSIIC (11 parks), GHMC (3 parks), Forest corporation (4 parks) and HMRL (2 parks) will develop them.
The government issued a GO on May 30, saying that ‘urban parks’ would be developed in 59 of the 188 reserved forest blocks situated within the HMDA limits. Thirty-seven of the proposed 59 urban parks will be developed by agencies other than the forest department GHMC, HMDA, Hyderabad Metro Rail & tourism department. Accordingly, the State government accorded administrative sanction for Rs 17.75 crore last week to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Officer on Special Duty.
While the government claims that development of urban parks in reserved forests will give the citizens the much-needed lung space, the officials have not even embarked on the survey to prepare an action plan to protect them. V Krishna, urban biodiversity forestry officer said that since the enforcement of the MCC, the development of urban parks came to a grinding halt as it did not invite tenders. But contradicting him, BLN Reddy, chief engineer from HMDA, said that it had already invited tenders twice during August 8 and September 10.
When asked about MCC, the official said that he would re-confirm with his higher authorities.
