HYDERABAD: The six Urban Forest Parks that have been established by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) as part of its environment conservation efforts in Hyderabad would be thrown open for the public on Thursday.
These are Nagaram Urban Forest Park spread over 556.69 hectares and established at a cost of Rs 817.96 lakh, Pallegadda Urban Forest Park at Maheshwaram (87.41 hectares, Rs 298.27 lakh), Sirigiripuram Urban Forest Park in Maheshwaram (102.39 hectares, Rs 308.13 lakh), Srinagar Urban Forest Park in Tukkuguda (526.91 hectares, Rs 834.15 lakh), Tumaloor Urban Forest Block in Maheshwaram and Manyamkancha Urban Forest Park at Lemoor village of Kandukur Mandal (58.78 hectares, Rs 349.64 lakh).
HMDA officials said that the objective of urban forest park is to provide complete protection to forest land, conserve the local biodiversity, develop forests inside the park and provide recreational and educational opportunities to the local population, help conserve water in the locality, provide the required lung space and relief to the people, reduce pollution and increase greenery in the area.
HMDA is developing urban forest blocks in and around cities and towns into Urban Forest Parks, which will not only provide the required lung spaces to the cities and towns but also contribute to the growth of smart, clean, green, sustainable and healthy cities in the State.
In addition to the greenery, walkways have been developed and several amenities for visitors made available in the parks. These parks have been provided with facilities such as CRS and see-through walls, entry plaza and ticket counter, visitors pathway, safari track, interpretation shed, gazebos, washrooms, watchtowers, seating arrangements and plantations. The Government has decided to develop these Forest Blocks into urban forest parks under the Telanganaku Haritha Haram.