Saroornagar a garden, now Hyderabad gateway

Saroornagar a garden, now Hyderabad gateway
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Highlights

Saroornagar is a prominent residential and commercial area. Abutting National Highway 9, it has a population of over 5 lakh with 29 villages and 13 panchayats. LB Nagar is a census town and municipality in the area. Almasguda, Badangpet, Bahadurguda, Bairamalguda, Balapur,

Saroornagar is a prominent residential and commercial area. Abutting National Highway 9, it has a population of over 5 lakh with 29 villages and 13 panchayats. LB Nagar is a census town and municipality in the area. Almasguda, Badangpet, Bahadurguda, Bairamalguda, Balapur, Champapet, Chintalakunta, Dawood Khan Guda and Gaddiannaram are a few of the mandals that come under this region.

Global Hospital (earlier Aware Hospital) was established in Bairamalguda. It is designed with a spiritual ambience, and has exceptional landscaping and state-of-the-art-equipment with renowned medical specialists. Cinema halls around Saroornagar are Shiva Ganga, Shalini Shivani, Sharada, Konark, Venkatadri, Sree Laxmi and others. Saroornagar also houses famous malls, wholesale and retail outlets. Famous parks like Priyadarshini Park and Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) Complex Park are located here.

Mahalaxmi Temple at Saroornagar bus stop

Major educational institutions such as MVSR Engineering College, TKR Institutions, Sanvi Women’s PG College, Loyola Convent High School, St Mary's Model High School, Sri Vidya Vihar High School are present here. The Saroornagar Indoor Stadium is a sporting arena located on the National Highway to Vijayawada. It was constructed in 2002 for the 32nd National Games that were held in the city. The capacity of the arena is 2,000 people.

History

The second Nizam had given away a village beyond Malakpet as inam (gift) to prime minister Nawab Arastu Jah Bhadur’s wife Suroor Afzal Bai. Arastu built a palace for his wife here and developed a huge garden around it. Since then the village came to be known as Saroornagar.

Canons from the Nizam era in Saroornagar

The Saroornagar Lake is a reservoir constructed in late 16th century during the reign of Quli Qutb Shah to provide water for irrigation of farm lands. This 400-year-old lake is spread across 1 sq. km area. Due to population explosion in the city after independence, the land around this lake has been converted into residential areas. In recent years, there have been efforts to beautify the lake and its surroundings.

Saroornagar Palace/Victoria Memorial Orphanage was built both as a hunting lodge and as a summer resort by Mir Mahboob Ali Khan for his family. The palace came up in 65 acres of land close to the Saroornagar Lake but was considered inauspicious for the Nizam, who then ordered it to be used as an orphanage. On the request of the then British Resident, it was dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria. These days, it is popular as a location for movie shoots.

Problems

Locals and NGOs working to save the lakes and water bodies say that the Saroornagar Lake has been encroached indiscriminately by land sharks. They urge the government to resurvey the lake and fence the lake, as part of the initiative Mission Kakatiya by the Telangana government, to keep a tag on encroachments and take action to put an end to this menace.

By:Ch Saibaba

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