Threat to Durgam cheruvu's tranquility

By K.V.S. Madhav

HYDERABAD, AUG. 11. Durgam cheruvu is no more a secret lake. Till a year ago, it was a sparkling, sealed world where silence reigned supreme. So did seclusion.

What was once a majestic sight from the highest point on the rocky terrain of Jubilee Hills, the pristine lake is today fast turning into an eyesore with illegal constructions jutting out on all sides, one bang on the lake bed itself, and visitors thronging the place like never before. Hordes of them, trampling upon its tranquility.

Besieged by encroachments -- whole colonies of them -- and polluted by the sewage being diverted, the lake is in for some more devastation if one goes by the blueprint drawn by the corporation for the lake's development. Predictably, it has raised the hackles of environmental groups.

The corporation has cleared the decks for a massive infrastructure building plan around the lake, including facilities for an artificial cascade and an exclusive party zone -- till now, the hillocks had been venues for the odd private party and here comes the official sanction for unbridled binges.

Besides, a full-fledged restaurant, large-scale illumination of the rocks, introduction of `shikaras' a la Kashmir, paddle boats and modern rowing facilities would be taken up. A Pondicherry- based French architect has been commissioned to prepare a comprehensive landscape design.

"Why turn the lake into a carnival? Durgam cheruvu is bound to become another Hussainsagar with jamborees all around it," fumes Prof. M.V. Naidu of the Forum for a Better Hyderabad. "The department is ruining the natural beauty of the place. If one goes on a construction spree, that too so close to the lake, what will remain of it and those unique rock formations," asks Mr. Narendra Luther, president, Society to Save the Rocks (SSR).

"These are silent recreation areas and there is no need to develop them at all. Just allow the place to retain its natural character. Why thrust artificial elements onto the nature's lap," he says. "These plans must stop," is their anguish-ridden plea.

In a notification issued last year, the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) listed 169 lakes, "cheruvus" and "kuntas" in and around the city to maintain the ecological and physical health of the lake areas under the Irrigation Act and environment protection laws.

Durgam cheruvu is not just one among them, but a rare and perfectly self-contained water body with naturally sculpted hillocks -- these symphonies in stone are also listed heritage monuments -- skirting it.

The notification says the areas falling within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the lakes as per the Survey of India maps must be kept free from any type of constructions irrespective of ownership or any land use or Master/Zonal Development plans that may have been previously notified. The ongoing constructions and the ambitious plans drafted by the Tourism Department only make a mockery of the notification.

The managing director of A.P. Tourism Development Corporation, Mr. C. Anjaneya Reddy, however, affirms that the development plans for the lake would be taken up without disturbing its tranquility. "Its exclusivity will be maintained," he says. Work is on near Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University for laying a trekking path for kids.

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