Nagaravanam awaits a facelift

​Tirupati: Nagaravanam the once attractive sylvan spectacle on the slopes of Tirumala hills in between Kapilatheertham and Alipiri area is longing for a facelift to have its heydays back.

Nagaravanam formerly Divyaramam was developed by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams TTD from 1980 onwards into a thicket which turned into a major attraction for denizens of the pilgrim city of Tirupati before it was took back by the Forest department, the original land owner of the reserved forest area.

When it was under the TTD management, the area was well maintained and it has become a vibrant centre witnessing various activities right from the day break with stream of walkers visiting it to improve health and fitness and others including elderly, women and children preferring it more as a destination for spending some time in the midst of salubrious sylvan environment in the morning or in the evening.

The TTD also made it a centre for distribution of saplings of various species under its Vriksha Prasadam scheme at a nominal cost of Rs 1 which went on for more than a decade, promoting tree culture in a big way and built a amphitheatre where Satsang was held every Monday for over a decade adding more to the popularity of the sylvan centre Divyaramam now Nagaravanam, as renamed by the Forest department in 2014 after TDP came to power.

Divyaramam was officially taken over by the Forest department in 2010. All these activities came to a halt one by one after the Forest department took back the control of the area ending the more resourceful TTD maintenance leading to the once active area becoming gloomy, except a few hundred stubborn walkers still coming in the morning and evening, able to make their way into the forest centre through the gap of the main gate.

The Forest department after it took up the maintenance looked after the area very well for only two years and later almost abandoned it due to funds crunch. The ruined ‘Vana Chetana’ a library for creating awareness among the public, the hut set up above the hill slope for the people to have a bird view of green thick woods in the down hills and the desolated amphitheatre give the tell tale picture of the sorry state of the once popular sylvan area.

While a electric poll uprooted and fell on the trees, with its live wire precariously hanging, in the recent high speed wind, three weeks back still to get its standing and the electric motor switch board and the wires popping up without any cover posing risk to anyone venturing into area reveal its neglect. The plaque unveiled by Forest Minister B Gopalakrishna Reddy for the development of Nagaravanam after TDP came to power remain a mute spectator to the government apathy.

Many senior citizens criticise the Forest department for leaving a beautiful scenic spate into lurch under pretext of fund crunch. Pointing at the fact that Nagaravanam was left with no watchman and the undergrowth and bushes with no pruning hedge cutting, weeding and gardening a group of people including Madhu Bhagavan and others said that the Forest department should at least take the minimum maintenance of the area and should not abandon it like this in the name of funds shortage.

However, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Subba Reddy said that the hard time of Nagaravanam is going to end soon with the department all set to take up its improvement with the Centre sanctioning about Rs 1.30 crore.

The Forest department is inviting tenders for the works shortly after which a long list of development initiatives will be taken up to bring back the glory of the Nagaravanam, he added. The works included landscaping, new entrance gate replacing the damaged one, wash rooms for walkers, yoga centre, internal foot path, reception and also
reviving the library etc.

The denizens are intently looking for the good days of the Nagaravanam to come back, more so the residents near the area as it would be a healthy retreat amidst lush green forests, providing them the much needed break from the routine life.