The VUDA will go ahead with construction of a park 0n the 21.6 acres Old Central Jail site in the heart of the city after taking the views of a cross section of people, VUDA Vice-Chairman B. Sreedhar has said. The Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone to the park in his next visit to the city.
He told reporters here on Monday that a discussion would be arranged with senior citizens and others concerned to ensure people's participation in designing the park and the best concepts would be taken. With a public interest litigation withdrawn and the high court giving the go ahead, VUDA had begun clearing the site.
Mr. Sridhar, who had returned from New Delhi after receiving a national-level tourism award for best civic management of tourism destinations for VUDA, said Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja had made mention of it in her speech. Andhra Pradesh had received a total of five awards and when Tourism Minister J. Geetha Reddy met the Chief Minister after receiving them, he had suggested that more measures be taken to promote tourism.
Proposals for the award were sent by his predecessor V.N. Vishnu and after scrutiny VUDA had been selected for the award, making it the first ULB to get the award. The award was in recognition of the eco-friendly measures taken and the greenery at Kailasagiri, the Energy Park atop it, Tenneti Park, Kursura Submarine museum and Buddhist sites Bavikonda and Thotlakonda.
Not only the garbage was removed but vermi-compost prepared from it. The award goes to the entire VUDA team, he said. Selective implementation of ban on use of plastic at VUDA tourism spots would be considered, he said answering a question. Shops there will be regulated and those set up without permission would be removed.
Housing projects
The VUDA had got a two-acre site in a joint venture with Chilukuri Developers at Kapuluppada and a demand survey would be conducted for taking up construction of apartments there, Mr. Sridhar said.
Besides, a housing project is likely to come up at Vimannagar where the Collector had allotted two acres of site to VUDA.
Work on a part of the land-pooling project at Paradesipalem would be taken up from March 10. Roads would be laid at a cost of Rs.3 crores. After developing the infrastructure, the farmers would be given their share. VUDA Divisional Forest Officer B.V.A. Krishna Murthy was present.
