NTR Gardens
Encyclopedia
NTR Gardens is a small public, urban park
of 55 acre (0.2225773 km²; 0.0859375759836983 sq mi) adjacent to Hussain Sagar
lake in Hyderabad, India
. Constructed in several phases since 1999, the area that is predominantly a park is geographically located in the centre of the city, and is close to other tourist attractions such as Birla Mandir
, Necklace Road
and Lumbini Park
. It is presently being maintained by the Buddha Purnima Project Authority that functions under the directives of the Government of Andhra Pradesh
.
, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
. It was planned to further expand this area, which has since been referred to as NTR Gardens, by constructing a museum about N. T. Rama Rao. This memorial was a part of the Buddha Purnima Project that was being handled by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority
(HUDA) for the beautification and development of the Hussain Sagar
lake and its surroundings as a major tourist attraction.
In 2000, the Government of Andhra Pradesh
expressed its plans to develop this area with several projects such the NTR Gardens itself, a rock garden
and an IMAX
theatre. Few days later, a government official firstly said that the rock garden will be taken up by Dubai
-based NRI
s at a cost of Rs.
27 crore
s. Secondly the IMAX theatre project, which was said to cost Rs. 52 crore was allotted to a private firm. Both these projects were to be executed in the same 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) plot which housed the memorial.
Upon the beginning of work at these gardens in January 2000, a petition
by two non-profit organizations sought an immediate stoppage of construction activity at the gardens. They contended that regulations showed the area around the lake as a recreation zone which must be kept away from all constructions for commercial or residential purposes. Since they claimed that these proposed projects violated all these, they sought a public hearing and an environment impact assessment before allowing these projects to continue. Accordingly the local apex court instructed the authorities to stop the construction until further orders.
A media report suggested that according to the 1980 HUDA Master Plan, the area where the NTR Gardens are located originally was a water body, but a gazetted notification in 1994 could allow such construction activities.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
of 55 acre (0.2225773 km²; 0.0859375759836983 sq mi) adjacent to Hussain Sagar
Hussain Sagar
Hussain Sagar is a lake in Hyderabad, India, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. It was a lake of 24 square kilometres built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city. There is a large monolithic statue of...
lake in Hyderabad, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Constructed in several phases since 1999, the area that is predominantly a park is geographically located in the centre of the city, and is close to other tourist attractions such as Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir, Hyderabad
Birla Mandir on the Naubath Pahad is a Hindu temple of Lord Venkateshwara, built entirely of white marble located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India....
, Necklace Road
Necklace Road
Necklace Road is a boulevard in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, adjoining the Hussain Sagar lake, which connects NTR Gardens to Sanjeevaiah Park. The road from Sanjivaiah park connects to the Tankbund road which in turn connects to the NTR Gardens completing a circle...
and Lumbini Park
Lumbini Park
Lumbini Park is a small public, urban park of adjacent to Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad, India. Since it is geographically located in the center of the city and is in close proximity to other tourist attractions, such as Birla Mandir and Necklace Road, it attracts many visitors throughout the year...
. It is presently being maintained by the Buddha Purnima Project Authority that functions under the directives of the Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh is the government for the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India.It is an elected government with 294 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Executive:...
.
Early beginnings
In 1999, a land of 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) from a 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) plot was utilized for erecting a memorial for N. T. Rama RaoN. T. Rama Rao
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician...
, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. It was planned to further expand this area, which has since been referred to as NTR Gardens, by constructing a museum about N. T. Rama Rao. This memorial was a part of the Buddha Purnima Project that was being handled by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority
Hyderabad Urban Development Authority
The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority was created in 1975, vide an act of the State Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. Its jurisdiction was expanded in 2008 by merging it with the surrounding mandals to form the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority....
(HUDA) for the beautification and development of the Hussain Sagar
Hussain Sagar
Hussain Sagar is a lake in Hyderabad, India, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. It was a lake of 24 square kilometres built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city. There is a large monolithic statue of...
lake and its surroundings as a major tourist attraction.
In 2000, the Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh is the government for the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India.It is an elected government with 294 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Executive:...
expressed its plans to develop this area with several projects such the NTR Gardens itself, a rock garden
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
and an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theatre. Few days later, a government official firstly said that the rock garden will be taken up by Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
-based NRI
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
s at a cost of Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
27 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
s. Secondly the IMAX theatre project, which was said to cost Rs. 52 crore was allotted to a private firm. Both these projects were to be executed in the same 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) plot which housed the memorial.
Controversy
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
by two non-profit organizations sought an immediate stoppage of construction activity at the gardens. They contended that regulations showed the area around the lake as a recreation zone which must be kept away from all constructions for commercial or residential purposes. Since they claimed that these proposed projects violated all these, they sought a public hearing and an environment impact assessment before allowing these projects to continue. Accordingly the local apex court instructed the authorities to stop the construction until further orders.
A media report suggested that according to the 1980 HUDA Master Plan, the area where the NTR Gardens are located originally was a water body, but a gazetted notification in 1994 could allow such construction activities.