When the need for action overcomes ennui

There is a plot of land in the Kondapur area of Hyderabad called the Botanical Gardens. It is the only green space in this area of high-rises and roads. It is in fact the only public space where there is a playground, a jogging trail, and undisturbed forests. On my walks/jogs in the Botanical Garden I have spotted many species of birds, insects and smaller mammals. ( I wish I had made a thorough list of birds I had spotted in this area)

Of late, the trail inside the park has been closed.A couple of fellow joggers and I were curious why. We could also see a lot of construction activity inside the park.

We tried to find out from various sources. In the meantime, this article came out in the Times of India. This plot of land, which by all means should have been saved as the only lung space in the area, has been leased out for eco-tourism. This eco-tourism project, handled by a private company, also includes a shopping mall and apartments ( 15% area handed out for this). The land is also being dug up for night safari and a eco-hotel.

The end result – What was once virgin forest is being systematically destroyed. Not only will we lose the animal and bird species, we will lose the only source of clean air in this area.

I have no doubts that we need to do something to preserve this. To this end, a couple of us have gotten together to firstly unearth what exactly is going on ( what is the status of the land – is it a reserve forest? If so, how has the forest dept. given the go-ahead for developing this). We are also trying to raise the awareness of folks around the area who would be motivated to join the cause.

If you’d like to join hands in our efforts, leave a message here.Or join our facebook page.

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