TRS alleges illegal activity in Hyderabad reserve forest area

Hyderabad, Feb 1 (PTI) Alleging that commercial activityhas been taken up in violation of norms in a reserve forestarea here, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao today urged theUnion Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to cancel theapproval given to the project.

The 274-acre reserve forest area called Kothaguda blockwas originally planned to be developed as a botanical gardenbut some vested interests, however, have managed to obtainpermission from the Centre to promote an eco-tourism projectin PPP mode despite strict legal provisions, Rao alleged in aletter.

The real objective of the promoters is to develop thearea as a high-class commercial tourist destination withhotels and multiplexes, he claimed.

The administration went out of its way to help thepromoters and the compensatory afforestation identified inChittoor district is no match to the land in the GreaterHyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, he claimed.

Highlighting the so-called need to scrap the project, theTRS president urged the Union Minister to issue orders forsuspending the clearance given to the project.