No stone turned for Rock Garden

In 2009 former CM Y S Rajashekhar Reddy laid the foundation stone for a rock garden and that is the only ‘construction’ that the land has seen The land is estimated to be valued at Rs 900 crore. Many a land shark and encroacher have set their eyes on that piece of land.

TSS Siddharth

Jubilee Hills is one of the city’s fastest developing areas with a myriad of IT companies and swanky apartments. This area has now fallen prey to lack of lung space. Keeping in mind the people’s need for fresh open spaces, the GHMC was allocated 35 acres of land on Road No 86 to develop a rock garden under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) business model. The allocated budget for the park was Rs 19.56 crore -- the authorities were supposed to acquire Rs 14.36 Cr from the PPP model and the rest of the money from GHMC’s own treasury. Till date the allocated land has been left bare. It is still considered to be in the ‘planning stage’. The only ‘development’ that this piece of land has seen, are the new slum dwellers who call it as their home. One of the residents in the vicinity, R Shanthan Reddy, said, “There is already a lack of lung space in Jubilee Hills. The more they postpone this process, the more the authorities are paving way for encroachments and others such activities.”

Chandra Mohan Reddy, IFS, Additional Commissioner, Urban Forest, Biodiversity Wing says, “We are yet to take up activity on that particular stretch of land. We are currently undertaking renovation works of the already existing projects like JVR Park, Indira Park, Chacha Nehru Park and a few others. Only after we finish that work, will we plan on starting the work on the rock garden.”

“Apart from the existing projects, that particular land on Road No 86 is still under litigation, because there are many people who claim they have documents owning that land. So, unless the land is cleared of all its injunctions, will we take up any activity,” said the Additional Commissioner.

Apart from the land woes, the Urban Fores, Biodiversity Wing, is facing a serious shortage of personnel, for 18 circles. They have only four of their operatives. Even this factor is hampering their work module and creating a lag in their progress.