Taking the forest block development around the city a step further, the State government issued orders on Friday constituting a State-level high power monitoring committee and district-level committees, besides redistributing the responsibility of the total forest blocks among various departments.
The whole project, which envisions development of 129 forest blocks within the Outer Ring Road, is estimated to cost ₹494 crore.
The Forest department will develop 15 forest blocks into urban parks and 70 as conservation blocks, with an expenditure estimate of ₹229.24 crore. GHMC was allotted three blocks with ₹17.73 crore expenditure, while HMDA got 17 blocks with ₹107 crore expenditure. Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) will develop four blocks at a cost of ₹26.53 crore, while Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) will take care of 11 blocks with ₹71.6 crore. Hyderabad Metro Rail will develop two parks with about ₹8.67 crore expenditure. Except the conservation blocks to be developed by the Forest department, the remaining will be developed as urban parks, with an entry fee for visitors.
Tourism department will develop seven blocks into eco-tourism spots, with an expenditure of about ₹33 crore.
The high power State committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary and will have the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force as the member-convener. Principal Secretaries respectively of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and Commerce, Finance, and Tourism and Culture, besides Commissioner, GHMC, Metropolitan Commissioner, HMDA, Director General, EPTRI, Managing Director, TSIIC, Managing Director, HMR, Managing Director, TSFDC, and Commissioner, Tourism will be members.
At the district level, the committee will be chaired by the District Collector, with the District Forest Officer as member-convener. Members will include the divisional managers concerned of the TSFDC, Assistant Director/ Director of HMDA in the respective districts and deputy directors of urban biodiversity wing of GHMC in the respective districts, Assistant Director, Tourism, nominee of the MD, TSIIC in the district, nominee of the HMR in the district, one representative of the walkers or users association and one representative of the residential welfare association.
Mobilise funds
The State-level committee will monitor implementation of the programme, while the district-level committees will provide the required technical guidance for development of these blocks and supervise the progress of various departments or agencies.
Funds for the blocks should be mobilised by the respective departments, while the Forest department will provide technical guidance.
