47 new theme parks set to dot twin cities

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has made extensive arrangements to plant three crore saplings as part of Haritha Haram programme in Greater Hyderabad.

The GHMC has one crore saplings and for remaining one and half crore saplings, GHMC along with HMWSSB is raising the saplings in nurseries in open sites. Apart from this, 70 lakh saplings are raised in selected open sites belonging to HMDA and Housing Board.

GHMC Commissioner M Dana Kishore informed that Haritha Haram programme should initiate soon as the city is expected to get good rain in two days. Local MLAs, corporators and other officials should take the part to make it successful.

GHMC decided to plant the saplings in open places of government land, national highways and also distribute the saplings to citizens free of cost. In GHMC limits, officials of Urban Bio-Diversity Wing selected around 3,080 open places with an area of 1,729 acres. There are 873 parks under GHMC limits and Commissioner instructed that to plant the saplings in 696 acres of space. GHMC decided to plant the new saplings in the place of dead saplings which were planted last year across the city.

Dana Kishore said that they decided to set up separate committees in zonal, circle level to monitor the saplings which were planted throughout the city as part of the Haritha Haram.

Separate committees would go to every residential welfare associations, bastis and other government offices and inform them how to maintain the saplings properly, he said.

GHMC decided to develop 47 major parks by allocating an acre of land to each park and more in all zones with different themes. The preparation of landscape designs is under progress. These major parks would be named as "Haritha Haram Parks".

As per the instructions of Chief Minister, GHMC is developing three Urban Forest Parks around Hyderabad city in forest blocks in Suraram, Madannaguda and Nadergul blocks. It is also proposed for taking up dense plantations in these reserve forest blocks along with visitor zones. The project cost is Rs 17.75 crore.