False Hopes: HMDA yet to fulfil its mega promises

Hyderabad: In what has emerged as a clear pattern, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has clearly fallen short on a series of seemingly impossible promises made over three years. Announcements about building theme parks on the banks of the Hussain Sagar, manmade islands in it, construction of a ropeway, and a general purification of the lake, have been gathering dust. Not a single project has seen the light of the day.

In June 2017, the HMDA had proposed to construct a 10-acre theme park on a stretch of land between Jalavihar and PV Ghat, at an estimated cost of Rs 8 crore, as part of the shoreline improvement initiative. It was to be equipped with elevated walkways, an underpass, a glass deck, a lakeside deck, children’s play area and more. A Mumbai-based consultancy had even prepared and submitted a detailed project report for the park, which has since been pending with the state government.

The planned ropeway over Hussain Sagar, from Sailing Club to Lumbini Park, was meant to allow tourists to have a closer look at the monolithic Buddha statue in the midst of the lake. Additionally, the HMDA has also planned an underwater aquarium where tourists could descend a few feet into the water. The proposal was in principle by municipal administration and urban development minister K.T. Rama Rao. An year has passed, and HMDA officials seem clueless about the project.

Yet another mega announcement made last year was that two islands were to be developed on Hussain Sagar, between Sanjeevaiah Park and Jalavihar. The islands would be built with sediment dredged from the lake, and mounds of sediment were even deposited on one side of the lake. Announcing the project, HMDA commissioner T. Chiranjeevulu said, “Our idea is to use small land pockets existing in the lake and pile up sediment collected from the lake bed through dredging, and develop islands and greenery on it so that people can have an altogether different experience of the lake.” However, officials claim the project could not mature since the government has asked the HMDA to “temporarily postpone” it.

Neither has the HMDA succeeded in cleaning the lake. On being questioned, a senior HMDA official said it is a “huge challenge” to maintain the lake, covering 5.7 sq. km in the heart of the city. “We are trying our best to keep the lake clean, but some effluents are still being pumped into it, particularly at night, by some industries,” he added.

On the other mega projects those are yet to be implemented, the official said, the HMDA has already prepared detailed project reports for all of them, and some of the reports have been submitted to the government for approval, which the HMDA is still awaiting.