Bhadrakali Bund in Warangal thrown open to public

Warangal: Much to the delight of the city dwellers, especially those who would like to soak in the beauty of nature and revel by the lakeside, the Bhadrakali foreshore bund was thrown open to the public on Monday. Though this project was formally inaugurated in April this year by Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) […]

Warangal: Much to the delight of the city dwellers, especially those who would like to soak in the beauty of nature and revel by the lakeside, the Bhadrakali foreshore bund was thrown open to the public on Monday.

Though this project was formally inaugurated in April this year by Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao, visitors entry was restricted completely due to enforcement of Covid-19 guidelines and other issues, according to the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA), which executed the project under the Centre’s the flagship programme, Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY).

---

“While Rs 21 crore sanctioned under the HRIDAY scheme was spent on the project, the KUDA was forced to shell out another Rs 10 crore for related works,” said an official. The development of this Geo-Bio-Diversity Cultural Park was taken up in 2016, and the 1.1 km long foreshore bund constructed with amenities like green colonnades, open-air gym, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)-made walking track, playing area, integrated landscape lighting, parking, among other facilities, to provide a memorable experience complemented by the picturesque lakefront.

“It is really wonderful to have an urban lung space like this. As a Warangalite, I hope this bund will attract more visitors from the city as well as other parts of the State and country since it’s as beautiful as the Tank Bund and Necklace Road in Hyderabad. However, the officials must ensure proper maintenance of the project,” Santhosh Manduva, a youngster from Warangal, told Telangana Today.

He, however, expressed displeasure over the collection of the entry fees for the newly developed park. When contacted, KUDA chairman Marri Yadava Reddy said the corporation is collecting Rs 30 per adult and Rs 20 per child for entry into the park. “Since we need to meet the maintenance expenditure, we are forced to collect the entry fee,” he added. KUDA is also planning to collect Rs 400 per head from walkers per month or Rs 4,000 per annum to use the walking track at the park. Official sources said that they were expecting 200 to 300 visitors per day as of now. “But this number will definitely go up once Covid subsides,” an official said, adding that they were expecting Rs five lakh expenditure on maintenance of the park.

Meanwhile, Dr Suresh Devath, the founder of an NGO, said the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), which is developing the remaining 2.5 km long foreshore development under the Smart City project, must speed up the works and complete them at the earliest.

The KUDA authorities took care of reflecting architectural the elegance of the Kakatiya era gateways, sculptural focal points and others at the park.

Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Government Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar, KUDA chairman Marri Yadava Reddy, and others officially announced that the park was thrown open to the public on Sunday night during the celebrations of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’.

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .