HMDA to Transform Hussainsagar and Necklace Road into World Class Recreational Hub

On Wednesday, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) announced a major redevelopment master plan to transform Hussainsagar and its surrounding landmarks, including Necklace Road, NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park, and People's Plaza, into a world-class recreational destination. The Buddha Purnima Project (BPP), a wing of the HMDA, is preparing the plan to unlock the area's commercial, recreational, and urban landscape potential through climate-conscious design.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, HMDA Urban Forestry Director G Rohit Reddy stated that the redevelopment would cover several key attractions around the lake. These include Lumbini Park, the Laserium, the Ambedkar Statue, the Martyrs’ Memorial, the NTR Memorial, Sanjeevaiah Park, PVNR Marg (Necklace Road), Lake View Park, and People’s Plaza. The project aims to modernize the area using contemporary urban design concepts.

Alongside the waterfront makeover, Reddy highlighted HMDA’s extensive urban forestry initiatives. The authority has planned 213 urban parks across the Core Urban Region. Out of 23 major colony parks identified for development, 18 have already been completed, and work is currently underway on the remaining five.

During the 2025-26 period, the HMDA planted 20.25 lakh saplings across 26 Urban Reserve Forest blocks. The authority also plans to develop additional reserve forests and has raised 4.25 crore saplings across 42 nurseries.

Addressing infrastructure-related environmental concerns, Reddy noted that 1,520 of the 4,230 trees falling along the proposed Paradise-Dairy Farm Road (NH-44) and Paradise-Shamirpet ORR elevated corridors have already been translocated.

To sustain these green spaces, the HMDA plans to use treated water from Coca-Cola’s bottling plant to irrigate plantations along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) through a network of 20 storage sumps.

Additionally, the authority has turned to corporate partnerships to manage several green spaces. Six urban parks have been entrusted to private firms, saving the HMDA Rs 5.79 crore. These corporate-managed sites include Panchatatva Park at Narsingi, Golden Mile Layout Park at Kokapet, YSR Colony Park, Bathukamma Park, First Field Park, and Alkapur Park-2 in Manikonda.