Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is all set to take forward the Telangana government’s Telanganaku Haritha Haram (TKHH) initiative and will set up ‘tree parks’ in 616
unmaintained open spaces spread across 276 acres in the city. These tree parks will have walking tracks and seating areas.
There are 3,084 identified open spaces with an area of 1,729 acres in the GHMC limits.
Out of these, 1,264 open spaces having an area of 578 acres are occupied by play grounds, community halls and graveyards, and are identified as not suitable for greenery works. About 873 open spaces were developed into parks spanning an area of 696 acres and are regularly maintained by the GHMC either through contractors or by CWAs.
Commissioner Dana Kishore directed officials to take up plantation under the
TKHH in the remaining open spaces.
Currently there are 331 tree parks covering an area of 179 acres in GHMC area, which are not maintained.
According to the GHMC, “All these unmaintained tree parks and open spaces would be regularly maintained by employing labourers to keep these areas clean. These will also have utilitarian value as they would provide walking tracks and seating areas for the public.”
Apart from the tree parks, the GHMC has already proposed to develop 47 major parks with an area spanning over 1 acre with different themes. The preparation of landscape design is under progress for these parks which will be called “Haritha Haram Parks”.
The GHMC is also developing three “urban forest parks” around Hyderabad in forest
blocks viz Suraram, Madannaguda and Nadergul. It also proposes to take up dense plantations in these reserve forest blocks along with visitorzones at a cost of Rs 17.75 crores.
The civic body has prepared an action plan for 300 lakhs including 10 lakhs for “tree
planting” in open spaces, avenue plantation, institutions, lakes, grave yards etc. and the remaining 290 lakhs have been
proposed for planting in parks, medians, flyovers and for distribution of homestead plants which includes aromatic, herbal, flowering, ornamental, shade etc., as per public demand.