HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to protect and maintain the greenery of the historic Public Garden in Nampally.
A division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao issued the directive, instructing the government and other authorities concerned to safeguard the park and its aesthetic and recreational aspects.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the Morning Walker Association, represented by its president Syed Muneer Ahmed, which sought legal action to prevent the authorities from using the Public Garden for any purpose other than recreation and greenery.
The petitioner claimed that the allocation of land within the park for constructing a Protocol Office building, through Government Order (GO) 35 dated March 2, 2007, violated previous orders protecting public parks, including GO 72 issued on February 20, 2002.
Counsel for the association argued that the respondents, including the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Telangana government, were not entitled to allot parkland for building construction. The plea requested the restoration of the park area adjacent to Jubilee Hall and challenged the legality of GO 35.
In response, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Md Imran Khan stated that the government was maintaining the Public Garden with abundant greenery and that a small, unutilized piece of land measuring 860 square yards was being used for the construction of a Protocol Office building.
The AAG emphasised that this construction would not harm the park’s greenery or violate existing guidelines, as the land in question did not contain trees or gardens.
The AAG further defended the establishment of the Telugu Open University and Lalitha Kala Thoranam, noting that both projects were undertaken by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government to promote Telugu language and culture.
He assured the court that the Public Garden remains well-maintained for morning walkers and the general public, and no further portions of the garden are required for construction.