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Don't talk, don't think
Dec. 20th, 2008 | 09:41 am
The Wikipedia entry for Serilingampally describes it as one of the "fastest growing suburbs in Hyderabad". Growth, as it turns out is a rather strange word to use. The areas of Gachibowli and Kothaguda that are part of Serilingampally or 'palle' were once partly forests, occupied by tribals who relied on the land to live. Kothaguda forest was supposed to belong to these tribals, but later it was brought under the Serilingampally municipality. Kothaguda village, where people have been living for several years is now being declared as a slum, old houses including an old stone building is to be razed to widen the roads. There are new apartments, so the people who will come to live there will need bigger roads! The old Kothaguda forest has now been taken over to construct a Night Safari. This means, exotic animals will be brought in from outside- after evacuating the local flora and fauna. .
The Botanical Gardens, covering an area of 128.07 acres is going to have some construction work carried out apparently, for 'Eco-tourism'. I don't understand what kind of eco-tourism indulges in the systematic removal of an existing wilderness to substitute it with a sanitized, exotic landscape. This area could become a birdwatcher's zone with some nature education programmes that would conserve some of the rock-scapes, birds, animals and trees. But there is this need to build and tame the land to earn revenue. Has this been done after any kind of surveys or any kind of thinking at all?
Serilingampally was brought under the GHMC last year to bring it into the urban sprawl of Hyderabad. Obviously this means, do what you want, grab as much land, trample on the rights of people and nature. It's YADP (yet another development plan). There must be a good alternative to this, something that can get FD it's revenue, the local people their rights and the residents their green space. But then...as long as we have an attitude of 'this is inevitable' I wonder if anything can happen. Yet, we must try and do our bit, else imagine, the photo I posted on this blog just a few days ago will become a museum piece!
The Botanical Gardens, covering an area of 128.07 acres is going to have some construction work carried out apparently, for 'Eco-tourism'. I don't understand what kind of eco-tourism indulges in the systematic removal of an existing wilderness to substitute it with a sanitized, exotic landscape. This area could become a birdwatcher's zone with some nature education programmes that would conserve some of the rock-scapes, birds, animals and trees. But there is this need to build and tame the land to earn revenue. Has this been done after any kind of surveys or any kind of thinking at all?
Serilingampally was brought under the GHMC last year to bring it into the urban sprawl of Hyderabad. Obviously this means, do what you want, grab as much land, trample on the rights of people and nature. It's YADP (yet another development plan). There must be a good alternative to this, something that can get FD it's revenue, the local people their rights and the residents their green space. But then...as long as we have an attitude of 'this is inevitable' I wonder if anything can happen. Yet, we must try and do our bit, else imagine, the photo I posted on this blog just a few days ago will become a museum piece!