Hyderabad: Bringing much relief to walkers and children, all the parks in the city that were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been re-opened on Saturday, following relaxations on lung spaces as part of the Centre’s Unlock 4 guidelines.
Morning walkers and yoga practitioners, who had to depend on limited spaces inside their colonies and small private spaces, will be those to benefit from the parks reopening, though the first day on Saturday saw a lukewarm response, courtesy the rains and cloudy weather. The usual weekend rush in theme parks, play parks, colony parks, lake parks, and walkway gardens was missing, partly due to the rains, and also due to the fear of the pandemic.
The city has several parks that are maintained by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), and the Forest department. Most of the GHMC parks are used for exercises and as hangout spots while those belonging to HMDA and Forest Departments offer amusement to children and families.
V Krishna, Additional Commissioner, Urban Biodiversity, GHMC, said the civic body maintains 919 lung spaces including colony parks and major parks. “We will sanitize open gyms and equipment being used by children. Necessary precautions will be followed in the parks. Cleanliness and hygiene will be given utmost priority in parks and their surroundings,” he said.
Apart from GHMC parks, popular parks maintained by HMDA such as Sanjeevaiah Park, NTR Gardens, and the Priyadarshini Park along with the Forest Department’s KBR Park in Jubilee Hills have also been reopened on Saturday. Forest Minister Indrakaran Reddy asked visitors to utilize the reopening of parks by taking precautions such as maintaining physical distance, using sanitizers, and wearing face masks. He instructed officials to clear stagnated water in parks and to keep them clean.
Children and animal lovers will have to wait a little more for the reopening of the Nehru Zoological Park, which will be opening its gates on October 6.
