Heralding a new phase in the city’s activism scene was the recent victory of the daily walkers and environmentalists over the protection of the Botanical Gardens in Kondapur.
For close to four years, the local residents and walkers opposed the then State government’s move to permit eco-tourism projects inside the sprawling Kothaguda forest spread over 120 acres.
As the protestants formed association and agitated from streets to courts, the latest decision of the TRS government to not back the project has greatly overwhelmed the members, who are now gearing up to take stock of the situation at the park.
A.V. Reddy, secretary of the Botanical Garden Walkers’ Association, who had actively campaigned against the project, said that there is an urgent need for the government to take possession of the forest land.
“The land needs to be levelled at many places inside the park as they were dug by the people behind the eco-tourism projects. The park also needs restoration at some corners and is still out of bounds for walkers as the people behind the eco-tourism project have occupied them.”
He also charged that the electricity bills, amounting to almost Rs. 7 lakhs needs to be paid.
“The rose park is in a bad shape and so are many other plantations because they are not being watered. Even the washrooms have not been cleaned for a while. These small issues will only be solved when the government restores the electricity inside the park. We will bring this to the notice of the government.” The botanical gardens, which is a part of the Kothaguda reserve forest, is visited by close to 600 walkers on a daily basis in the mornings as well as the evenings. This latest ‘victory’ has also enthused the activists involved in the issue with a hope to see more of such outcomes.
Senior academician G. Haragopal closely involved in the issue lauded the TRS government. “I may not agree with the government on every issue, but I am happy with the stand of the Chief Minister on this issue. Before the elections, K. Chandrashekar Rao was one of the signatories of a petition to stop the eco-tourism project and he fulfilled his commitment after coming to power. We are fighting a case regarding the Hussainsagar and we hope to get a favourable decision in the court like this one.”
D. Krishna, an IT professional said that all the walkers will come out with proposals to restore and beautify the gardens.
