HMDA says will develop park at Shivrampally

Rajendranagar: A long-pending issue of abandoned HMDA Park at Shivrampally raised by The Hans India evoked a swift response from the department concerned whose officials finally visited the site on Tuesday. Besides having a glimpse of a neglected place lingering in isolation for years, they also took stock of the situation with some impromptu remedies as a stopgap.

Following the report published, 'HMDA Park at Shivrampally wallowing in official neglect,' in The Hans India on Tuesday, with regard to the HMDA Park, the Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar took to his twitter handle in the wee hours and instructed the officials concerned to inspect the place and take appropriate remedial measures. Later, the officials from urban forestry visited the spot and took stock of the situation.

At first, the Forest Manager Srinath Reddy visited the spot and thoroughly inspect the areas. He even took up some measurements to determine the actual boundary of the land. The official inspected at least 8 to 10 feet of breach to the boundary wall. He even took note of the broken bottles strewn around the surface for every few meters.

"The nursery was shifted to other place four years ago due to recurring inundation and the place has been left abandoned since then. The nursery was developed on around 500 acres of barren land of a water body. Though, we are aware of this place and even remotely supervising the situation with the help of an employee deployed here to look after the place, we are not aware about the happenings going on at this abandoned place.

The boundary wall was demolished at one place. We often asked the deployed employee to keep the gates of the park closed,so to avoid permission for anyone to get inside," the visiting official said.

Later,the Director Department of Urban Forestry B Srinivas, along with DFO Prakash (DCF) Urban Forestry also visited the spot and inquired about the actual condition.

The officials said that the "Department of Urban Forestry has made a proposal to promote the place as a nursery as well as a tree park, besides a walking track with seating arrangements just to get back the abandoned place from the oblivion. Plantation will be taken up with immediate effect to bring back the flush green ambience to the place."