After years of legal issues and tussle regarding its naming, the gates of Deccan Park will be finally thrown open to public. On Monday, the green space is expected to be formally inaugurated by Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao. The beautification works of the park, which is spread across 31 acres abutting the seven tombs, began in 2002. The Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) acquired the land in 1982, as per the State government orders.
The Deccan Park was developed on 20 acres by 2006, replete with a number of recreational facilities including boating, and train ride. However, court cases related to the ownership of the land kept the park unutilised. In 2011, the court ruled in favour of the State government but politics surrounding the name of the project further delayed the inauguration. An opposition party expressed reservation over the existing name and even shot letter to the State government pressurising it to rename it.
In the midst of the status quo, 76 contract workers were engaged to maintain the park, which was rented out mainly for shooting movies and conducting events, generating an annual revenue of around ₹ 10 lakhs. The existing features inside the park included a musical fountain, swimming pool, dinner shed, conference hall, boating pond, kids’ pool, toy train, view point open area and a canteen.
The Aga Khan Trust for culture (AKTC) and Aga Khan Foundation of India (AKFI) signed a MoU in 2013, for preservation and development of 7 tombs as heritage structures and taking up of conservation and rehabilitation in Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs complex and the Deccan park.
All the while, the park was out of bounds for the locals and visitors of the seven tombs.
