Deccan Park to be opened for public

Years in the making and hit by various issues, the much awaited Deccan Park close to Golconda Fort is now finally ready to welcome visitors. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao will inaugurate the facility on Monday.

Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) had taken over 31 acres of government land in 1982 and developed the Deccan Park over 20 acres with a host of facilities

The park has a musical fountain, swimming pool, Chowki dinner shed, conference hall, boating pond, kiddy pool, lazy pool, toy train, view point open area, stage event, canteen building, among others.

QQSUDA took up the developmental works from 2002 to 2006 and a total of 76 workers have been working in Deccan Park for its maintenance.

Ever since Deccan Park was developed, it was tangled in controversies with the Idgah Committee and the Archaeology Department claiming ownership of land. They had maintained that part of their land was encroached during development of the park.

The park could not be opened due to court cases which were cleared in the year 2011 and delayed due to renaming.

A popular haunt for filmmakers, the park has been generating around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh for QQSUDA through rents from film shootings and other social events.

In the year 2013, Aga Khan Trust for culture (AKTC) and Aga Khan Foundation of India (AKFI) had entered into MOU with State government for preserving and developing tombs as heritage structures.

They had also assured the governmnet to take up conservation, landscaping and urban environmental rehabilitation, in Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs complex and Deccan Park, and the work will commence soon in Deccan Park.

The Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation has also proposed development of Hyderabad Heritage circuit sanctioned by Ministry of Tourism Department.

This project will be taken up at a cost of Rs 98.42 crores to construct an entrance plaza, interpretation centre, parking, amphitheatre, pathways, landscaping, boundary wall, public amenities, last mile connectivity, street furniture, Illumination and lighting etc.