Sainikpuri:A hospitable housing colony

Sainikpuri is a busy area in Secunderabad in the North Zone of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. The Armed Forces Officers Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd (estd 1960) and other residential colonies like Manik Sai Enclave, Madhavpuri, Dr Ambedkar Nagar Colony, Lakshmipuri, Osmania Teachers Colony, Saibaba Officers Colony, Bhasker Rao Nagar, Eshwaripuri Colony, HMT Bearings Officer's Colony, Suryanagar Colony, Kalyan Gardens, Shaili Gardens, Tulsi Gardens, Sylvan Greens, Yapral, etc, are located here. Well established organised residential areas adjoining Sainikpuri are Defence Colony (estd 1968), Vayupuri Colony (estd 1964).

There are restaurants, bars, theatres and shopping complexes on the main road leading from Sainikpuri to ECIL X Roads. Super-speciality hospitals such as Poulomi Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Raghavendra Hospital can be accessed easily, besides several other clinics, dispensaries, pet clinics, stores such as Spencer's, Heritage and More have their outlets in Sainikpuri.

Alwal Santha is organised on the High-Tension Road near Eshwarpuri Colony every Monday. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Indus International School and many other famous schools are located in this area. The major landmarks here are College of Defence Management (estd 1970), Kapra Lake and DCP Malkajgiri Rajendra Sinhji Institute (RSI Club), Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Nalla Pochamma (or Goddess Kali) Temple, Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni, Mosque in Defence Colony.

Former Chief of Army Staff and Governor of Jammu & Kashmir General KV Krishna Rao resides in the area and so do several other retired senior officers of the Indian Army and Air Force. Also veterans of private sector such as Sri Nimmagadda Prasad or ‘Matrix’ Prasad stay here.

It was in the Eshwarpuri Colony that Telugu movie ‘Dana Veera Sura Karna’, an evergreen classic starring NT Rama Rao, was filmed in 1977. Neredmet, AS Rao Nagar, Ramkrishnapuram, Kushaiguda, etc, neighbour the area. The nearest railway stations are at Ammuguda and Ramkrishnapuram. The Secunderabad Railway Station is 10 km away and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is 41 km away. The RTC runs a number of buses connecting the area to the other parts of the city

History

The name of the place is derived from the original residents who were sainiks, meaning soldiers and puri meaning place. Sainikpuri started as a co-operative housing society venture in 1960 for retired army personnel. But now it has houses which belong to other defence services as well as civilians. Late Brig. MK Rao (founder), Late Brig. SN Docca (former commandant of EME School now MCEME) and Late Lt. Col.

Tiwari Singh were the first few to have plots in the society and were of the vision that the colony would grow into an elite area. The area is well planned and maintained. There is an abundance of lush greenery. Roads are well laid and numbered. Now it is considered a posh area with eco-friendly environment. The old buildings are slowly giving way to multi-storied apartments. Culturally, Sainikpuri is Pan-Indian due to its Armed Forces origins, and is home to people from almost every major culture of India.

Problems

Satish Kumar, a Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL) member, said, “Encroachments have been rampant in the past few years. The GHMC had listed 25 structures as encroachments liable for demolition, including the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Kapra. Officials say efforts are underway to re-fix the missing pillars in order to prevent further encroachments. But till now nothing was done and encroachments are going on in full swing. The lake originally covering an area of 113 acres has now reduced to below 10 acres. I hope the State government will look into the issue and fix the problem.”

By:Ch Saibaba