'Government open to improvements on SRDP'

HYDERABAD: Fielding environmental concerns of people on the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) around KBR Park, special chief secretary (MA&UD) M G Gopal on Saturday said the state government would make all documents on the project public at the earliest.
"We have entrusted the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI) with conducting a rapid environmental impact assessment.Whatever data has emerged from the same so far will soon be put in the public domain," said Gopal.
Speaking at a debate organized by the Federation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTAPon 'Harmony in Environment and Development (Special Reference to Hyderabad)', Gopal asserted that the government was "open to improvements" on the SRDP.
"We will review and re-plan to bring about improvements in case we receive any suggestions or proposals from the people," he said.
While Gopal tried hard to put emphasis on his government's intention of "over compensating" for the trees felled for the SRDP, other panelists raised serious doubts over the decision. They also questioned the government's sudden plan to revise the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the KBR National Park.
"The Supreme Court had asked the state government to define the ESZ way back in 2008. Interestingly, it is only in March 2016 that the Telangana government has finally woken up and done the same," said L Ravichander, senior lawyer of Hyderabad High Court.
Terming the state government's plantation drives a farce, he added: "Not a single new tree, which has grown over the last 30 years, can be seen in the city."
P Vinay Kumar, surgeon and president of Hyderabad Hamara, echoed the sentiments of many green enthusiasts and pointed out how trees have borne the brunt of development projects initiated by successive governments.
"The main reason behind Hyderabad's choked streets is the metro work, which has created several bottlenecks. Before kicking off the SRDP, it needs to be seen just how much the metro, once operational, can ease the traffic congestion in the city," said Kumar.
The need to test the effectiveness of the metro rail in easing traffic congestion in the city was also put forward by Shilpa Sivakumaran, one of the panelists and representatives of Hyderabad Rising, who pointed out that by not waiting for the metro project to become operational, the state government was 'refusing to give public transport a chance'.
"While the state government claims that nearly 2.23 lakh commuters are affected by traffic jams at the Jubilee Hills checkpost, the proposed metro rail would cater to nearly two lakh people at the same junction," she added.
Even as transport expert C Ramachandraiah maintained that "Hyderabad will be doomed" if the SRDP project is implemented, environmentalist K Purushotham Reddy stressed that a referendum be carried out to decide on the future of the SRDP project.
"Hyderabad cannot become a world-class city if we ignore the needs of pedestrians and cyclists," Ramachandraiah added.