Telangana govt pitches for scrapping of botanical garden project.

In a landmark move to save Hyderabad's fast depleting lung space, the Telangana government recently urged the Hyderabad High Court to scrap the controversial botanical garden project, proposed to be set up within the Kothaguda reserve forest area.

The state said, in its counter affidavit filed in the high court, in response to the Lumbini SLN Spring Welfare Association's plea submitted on August 14, that the eco-tourism project should be scrapped and the site declared as a national forest. The state government not only agreed with the arguments put forth by the petitioner but admitted that the project was not 'in the interest of state and public'. 'The projects have been designed to benefit a few private persons.

The developers may exploit the project by sale of rights to outside parties at exorbitant rates as against the negligible amount they pay to the state as it happened in M/S Emaar Properties case which is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.' It further noted: '...there is greater justifi cation to preserve the environmental asset like Kothaguda Reserve Forest for coming generations... it is a rare environmental asset to the citizens of Hyderabad. Its value is incalculable.

TOI