Public Garden walkers fret as govt balks at HC orders

Hyderabad: Despite the Telangana High Court's recent order to protect and maintain the greenery of Public Gardens in Nampally, members of the Public Garden Walkers Association alleged that the state government has violated the court’s directive by conducting functions harming the garden's green spaces.

The walkers pointed out that the garden's central lawn has been repeatedly dug up to accommodate tents for dignitaries such as judges, military officers, and politicians, damaging the landscape and the dignity of the surrounding historical sites. These include Jubilee Hall, Jawahar Bal Bhawan, the Health Museum, Indira Priyadarshini Auditorium, Lalitha Kala Thoranum, and the YSR Archaeological Museum. It has been a week since the court issued the order, and no action has been taken yet, with garbage remaining in the corners of the garden. This is an occurrence witnessed even during the previous government’s terms.

Expressing deep disappointment over the state’s actions, Mohammed Abid Ali, social activist and daily morning walker, said, “It is very surprising to see that despite court orders, the state government has repeatedly violated the norms. At present, Public Garden has been decked out for an upcoming function that is liberation day that will be held on Tuesday. The complete lawn has been dug up, due to which we walkers are facing hardship to walk and do other health activities in the park. The repeated digging has also affected some major landmarks that are situated in the park.”

"Public Gardens, which is also known as Bagh-e-Aam (Bagheaam), was built in 1846, during the period of the Nizam's, and is one of the oldest gardens in the city. It has been more than a decade since the garden has been renovated. Despite the High Court's directive to refrain from using the Public Gardens as office space for government functions, which is not only damaging the environment and heritage buildings but also disobedience to the Telangana High Court orders that were given last week," said Sarwar Pasha, a daily morning walker.