SR Nagar A well-planned educational hub

Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar or SR Nagar is a famous educational, commercial and residential suburb in the heart of the city. The area is always bustling with heavy traffic as it lies on the highway to Mumbai. The Metro Rail Project is in full swing at SR Nagar which is a boon to residents in the vicinity. It falls under the Sanathnagar Assembly segment within the Secunderabad Parliamentary constituency.

Once covered by a good number of trees, SR Nagar now looks like a concrete jungle. It has Begumpet, Greater Leela Nagar and Dharamkaran Road to its east, Vengal Rao Nagar and Srinivasa Colony to its west, Bahlool Khan Guda, Subash Nagar and Sanathnagar to its north and Ameerpet to its south.

History

Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar was originally known as Gurumurthy Nagar. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, the sixth President of India, lived in the area in 1967. During his stay, the area developed in a big way. As a result, in 1975, Gurumurthy Nagar was renamed Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar.

SR Nagar was developed and categorised into Special Type, A type, B type, C type, MIG, LIG and Weaker Sections Housing structures by the AP Housing Board in 1968.

The statue of Umesh Chandra, a police officer who was shot dead by naxalites, is at the main entrance of this colony and is an important landmark. Other landmarks include Nawab Fakhr-ul-Mulk tomb, a magnificent stone building constructed in 1902. It is the tomb of Sarfaraz Khan, the Umera-nme-Uzzam of the state of Hyderabad. As per the Nawab's wish, after his demise in 1934, he was buried there. Thereafter his descendants also found place next to his maqbara. The heritage now has lost its original glory due to poor maintenance.

SR Nagar hosts over 500 educational institutions, hostels, eateries, private hospitals and other commercial establishments. The main road from Umesh Chandra Statue to SR Nagar Police Station is lined up with banks and financial institutions. Real estate boom that caught up 20 years ago resulted in converting all the original Housing Board structures into multi-storied apartments. Except a community hall (which is in a dilapidated condition), a Mahila Samajam, a children’s park and a municipal playground, there is not much breathing space with all lanes and by-lanes having been encroached and shrunk.

The area also has many corporate schools, junior colleges and coaching centers namely Bhashyam, Nagarjuna, Sri Chaitanya, Kakatiya, Narayana, Gautami, Gowtham and Narayana. More than 300 private buses bound for almost all the cities and towns within the State and neighbouring States originate and terminate at this place.

Problems

K Hanumatha Rao, vice president of the SR Nagar Welfare Association, said, “The drainage system has been there for more than 40 years and needs replacement. It needs to be replaced with higher diameter underground pipelines to prevent leakages on the roads. The GHMC hasn’t provided public toilets. Bad and bumpy roads is a matter of concern for commuters.

The Housing Board too has failed on its part to provide a community hall despite many request and representations made to the concerned authorities. SR Nagar Police Station is housed in an old building and needs to be relocated.”