HMDA to spend `100 cr to increase green cover
Urban body to spend `120 crore to beautify lakes, `400 cr on environment
Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has decided to spend `100 crore to increase green cover in its jurisdiction.
Apart from this, the authority has decided to spend `120 crore on beautification of lakes, `80 crore on Harita Haram and `100 crore on beautification and development of Gandipet lake. This adds up to `400 crore to be spent on the environment for the current financial year.
The HMDA has earmarked `100 crore to develop 29 forest blocks with technical guidance from the forest department.
The Medchal forest division covering three blocks or clusters in Bowrampet, Ramaram and Suraram in Medchal district will be developed at a cost of `12.18 crore, apart from the Shamshabad forest division covering Nadergul 1 and 2 reserve forest blocks in Ranga Reddy district (`2.02 crore); and Madannaguda forest block of Shamshabad division (`3.55 crore).
Besides, the HMDA has decided to plant 2.6 crore saplings under Harita Haram at an estimated cost of `80 crore.
The HMDA would distribute 1.6 crore saplings and one crore saplings will be planted by them along with 40 other government and private agencies.
A senior HMDA official said the authority would carry out block plantation across all mandals in its territory where 12 nagar panchayats will participate in the drive.
He said the block and median plantations will be taken up at all outer ring road interchanges, national and state highways.
The official said that HMDA would carry out landscaping at Shamshabad, Pedda Amberpet and Nanakramguda interchanges on the Outer Ring Road. The HMDA official said the authority would develop 20 lakes.
“The HMDA will beautify eight lakes in Ranga Reddy, 10 lakes in Medchal and two lakes in Sangareddy district. It will spend `120 crore for fencing, beautification and other works to provide the facilities such as walking and cycling tracks,” he said. At Gandipet, the official said that the HMDA will construct 36 km of cycling tracks and a bund and set up grill mesh around the lake at an estimated cost of `18 crore.
The HMDA has invited agencies to take up the bund and grill mesh works covering 25 km of the 48km periphery of Gandipet. The project would be taken up at a cost of `100 crore.