| NTR | |
|---|---|
 N. T. Rama Rao's Memorial At NTR Gardens | |
 Interactive map of NTR | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Hussain Sagar,Hyderabad |
| Coordinates | 17°24′36″N78°28′20″E / 17.410°N 78.4722°E /17.410; 78.4722 (NTR Gardens) |
| Area | 22 ha (55 acres) |
| Created | 15 December 2001[1] |
| Operated by | Buddha Purnima Project Authority |
| Visitors | 25,114[2] |
| Status | Open all year |
NTR Gardens is a small public,urban park of 15 hectares (36 acres) adjacent toHussain Sagar lake inHyderabad, where earlier athermal power station building stood until 1995. It is named after the formerChief minister of Andhra Pradesh,N. T. Rama Rao. Constructed in several phases since 1999, the area that is predominantly a park is geographically located in the centre of the city, and is close to other tourist attractions such asBirla Mandir,Necklace Road andLumbini Park. It is maintained by the Buddha Purnima Project Authority of theGovernment of Telangana.
The land for the garden was cleared in 1995 after demolishingHussain Sagar Thermal Power Station.[3] In 1999, a land of 2.0 hectares (5 acres) from a 22 hectares (55 acres) plot was utilised for erecting a memorial forN. T. Rama Rao, the formerChief Minister of unbifurcatedAndhra Pradesh. It was inaugurated byN. Chandrababu Naidu.[4] It was planned to further expand this area, which has since been referred to as NTR Gardens, by constructing a museum about N. T. Rama Rao. This memorial was a part of the Buddha Purnima Project that was being handled byHyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for the beautification and development of theHussain Sagar lake and its surroundings as a major tourist attraction.[4]
In 2000, theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh expressed its plans to develop this area with several projects such the NTR Gardens itself, arock garden and anIMAX theatre.[5] A few days later, a government official firstly said that the rock garden will be taken up byDubai-basedNRIs at a cost of₹270 million (equivalent to₹1.1 billion or US$13 million in 2023). Secondly the IMAX theatre project, which was said to cost₹520 million (equivalent to₹2.1 billion or US$25 million in 2023) was allotted to a private firm. Both these projects were to be executed in the same 22-hectare (55-acre) plot which housed the memorial.[6]
Upon the beginning of work at these gardens in January 2000, apetition by twonon-profit organisations sought an immediate halt of construction activity at the gardens. They contended that regulations showed the area around the lake as a recreation zone which must be kept away from all constructions for commercial or residential purposes. Since they claimed that these proposed projects violated all these, they sought a public hearing and an environment impact assessment before allowing these projects to continue. Accordingly, the local apex court instructed the authorities to stop the construction until further orders.[7]
A media report suggested that according to the 1980 HUDA Master Plan, the area where the NTR Gardens are located originally was a water body, but agazetted notification in 1994 could allow such construction activities.[8]
In 2001, the extensive work at 14 hectares (34 acres) of gardens was completed at a cost of₹400 million (equivalent to₹1.6 billion or US$19 million in 2023).[9][10] Besides a variety of plants, the gardens also house a souvenir complex, a visitors train, restaurants and a waterfall.
Media related toNTR Gardens at Wikimedia Commons
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