Mayor Inaugurates Nandanavanam Program

GHMC Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain inaugurated the "Nandanavanam" project on the occasion of International Biodiversity Day (May 22) at Imlibun Park. The project aims to create awareness about biodiversity, amongst children.

The Mayor said that GHMC is quite keen on developing the urban biodiversity of the twin cities as per the decision taken at the COP-11 conference held in the month of October last year.

It has been decided that more efforts will be made towards the preservation of the natural biodiversity within the GHMC's limits. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, a Biodiversity Wing has been estabilished.

The main objective of this wing would be to generate awareness among citizens about the innumerable benefits of a greener, cleaner and healthier atmosphere.

While addressing the gathering, Majid Hussain said that the GHMC is the only municipal corporation in the country that has started this initiative of conserving natural urban flora and fauna.

He also said that the GHMC is working hard to create awareness about biodiversity by coordinating with school managements for the active participation of students.

Earlier, the GHMC Mayor and the Commissioner went around interacting with participants in the painting competition held to celebrate this occasion (and International Biodiversity Day, of course). The officials praised the children for their concern, and for the initiatives taken up by them. Later on, the Mayor also administered the "biodiversity pledge".

GHMC Commissioner M T Krishna Babu said that the GHMC is taking up initiatives for urban biodiversity management in order to make the city's environment safe and sustainable for the present as well as for future residents.

He said that the initiatives include tangible development activities and strategic steps to create a social change by way of providing biodiversity education, traditional knowledge conversation, and also by building the capacity of the staff.

The Commissioner said that Rs. 25 crores have been allotted for the biodiversity wing.

He added that the GHMC is taking up the development of 14 major parks for biodiversity development. The native and indigenous flora and fauna of these parks will be preserved, and educational pamphlets regarding their importance will be distributed amongst people.

The Commissioner said that the GHMC is confident of the success of the initiatives taken up now.

The proposed 14 biodiversity parks are as follows:

East Zone - Mallapur behind Sanjay Nagar South End Colony Park
South Zone - Huda Colony
North Zone-APIIC Colony
Central Zone- Open space near MCRHRD, Ashwini layout, Nandagiri Hills, Road No. 44, Jubilee Hills, Open space further down from Daspalla Hotel
West Zone - Deepthisri nagar, Kukatpally (near Lodha), Mollakathva Cheruvu, Mayuri Nagar, Gulmohar Colony

N Chandra Mohan Reddy (Additional Commissioner - Urban Biodiversity), N Ravi Kiran (Zonal Commissioner - South), Ramesh Kumar (Director - Urban Biodiversity), Deputy Commissioners A Vijaya Laxmi and S Pankaja, and senior officials from the Horticulture, Health and Engineering wings participated in the program. (INN)