Jayesh Ranjan launches new not-for-profit body for Greater Hyderabad – Greener Hyderabad on eve of World Environment Day

Hyderabad, June 5, 2023: The Greater Hyderabad Parisara Foundation (GHPF), a not-for-profit organisation, devoted to transforming the ecology of the city and its surroundings into a greener and healthier metropolis, was launched by Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industry & Commerce, and IT, Government of Telangana, today.

The vision of the newly-launched GHPF is Greater Hyderabad, Greener Hyderabad.

GHPF, which is the Hyderabad chapter of a movement launched by a group of scientists, experts and other concerned citizens who have come together to ecologically transform Indian cities overwhelmed by extreme climate events, overflowing landfills with untreated solid wastes, depleting groundwater, encroached and polluted water bodies, toxic air quality and other environmental degradation. The group launched its Bengaluru chapter, Greater Bengaluru Parisara Foundation, in early 2022.

The launch event held on Monday on the eve of the World Environment Day at 360LIFE ‘Origin Towers at Madhapur’ in Hyderabad, India’s first and Asia’s only second such venture (Vertical Garden Twin Buildings) , was accompanied by the symbolic watering of the Vertical green forest of the apartment complex.

360 Life pioneers environmentally-conscious buildings to balance urban ecological health and the city's development needs.

GHPF, the Hyderabad Chapter, aptly launched on Monday, the UN World Environment Day

Speaking on the occasion Jayesh Ranjan said, “It is the perfect occasion to bring new NGO to Hyderabad said to have done phenomenally well in Bangalore over period of one year.  Many cities are confronted environmental challenges and Hyderabad is no exception. What you need to do is to collaborate with those institutions who are doing similar work. He said he would be ready to facilitate such collaborations and promised all the help.

I am happy to note that 360 Life has come forward to take responsibility of the restoration of two step well in the Osmania University campus. Over the last two years, 20 stepwells were restored in the city. He also appreciated 360 Life for coming out with two tallest apartment buildings with vertical forest.”

“More and more people are moving to cities. Now villages have become old age homes.  As a result there is a tremendous amount of stress on urban infrastructure.” said Prakash Belwadi, Theatre, Film, Media personality, an activist and thought leader who is the founder of Greater Bangalore Parisara Foundation.  

In next 15 to 20 years about 250 to 300 million people will be migrating to urban areas. 18million tonnes of garbage is produced across India every year.  And this is going into landfills, which are polluting underground water.  We need to use scientific data in urban planning. The newly launched NGO will provide scientifically reviewed data for urban planning. It will also help people to take informed decisions with the data.  So that they will not buy properties in problematic areas.  The NGO will work with Government and not against the government, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, K Srikanth, Director of 360 Life said that they are a social enterprise with a commercial viability rather than a complete commercial enterprise. Builders have to be responsible for the well-being of the customers who reside in the residences they build.  Today the scenario is under construction real estate projects produce more dust, air, noise pollution and disturbance to the neighbours.  Now you are here in this under-construction project without witnessing any of them he said.

We never celebrated New Year, but we have always celebrated World Environment Day.  This is our 9th year of celebration.  This day is an opportunity to showcase how dustfree is an under-construction site.  We would like to see a better Hyderabad. Our goal for the newly formed Greater Hyderabad Parisara Foundation is to achieve Net Zero.  Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that's produced and the amount that's removed from the atmosphere, he said.

Towards this direction, very soon we will be launching our project and initiatives for Net Zero, where in G Ranjith Reddy, MP, Lok Sabha; Arekapudi Gandhi, MLA and Whip, Telangana Assembly have agreed to take up the implementation in one colony each in their respective constituencies, Srikanth informed.

Kalpana Ramesh, Founder, of The Rain Water Project, speaking on the occasion said nearly 5000 tonnes of garbage (equivalent to the garbage, the entire city produces a day) was removed from 20 step-wells which were restored in the city in the last two years.  She shared that Rashtrapathi Nilayam in Bollaram has reached out to her to restore two step wells in Rashtrapathi Nilayam in Bollaram. The GHPF has come to Hyderabad at such a time the city is ready to welcome you, she said.

Nagesh Sidhanti, Landscape Engineer, Arboriculturist and Urban Forestry Expert; Prof D Ravinder, Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University; Thilotham Kolanu, Director, Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Corporation, Vinay Palaparthy, trade and industrial entrepreneur, nd others also participated.

360LIFE, which takes pride in facilitating the launch of this new foundation, with an aim to further the environmentally-harmonious development of Greater Hyderabad, took the opportunity to showcase to the dignitaries the progress made with, its stunning vertical forest model apartments on World Environment Day. The towers are twin urban apartment buildings which are covered by vertical gardens, the first of its kind in the country to balance mother nature with development.

360LIFE, a leading developer in the city, with plans to expand in Cochin, Jaipur, Pune, Chennai, Kigali (Rwanda) and Dubai, is committed to spearhead a strategic shift towards sustainability in development projects.

The vision of 360 LIFE is aligned with that of the foundation’s belief that the transformation into ‘Greater Hyderabad, Greener Hyderabad’ can be driven only by joining forces with government entities, academic institutions, NGOs and citizen groups, the speakers said.