About 152.4km away from the city of Hyderabad and about three hours drive is the 274-acre campus which is all about Gautama Buddha. The huge structure was thrown open to the public in December 2021. Buddhavanam, as the place is called, brings us close to the Buddhist principles, which mean a lot in the times of COVID and Omicron. One of Buddha’s principle teachings was that pain is inevitable for human beings, but suffering is an option.So, one can skip the snarling traffic and pollution and can head to the awesome, lush Nallamala forest watching the quartzite rocks on the way and river Krishna flowing alongside. Located on National Highway No 565 connecting the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Rs 65 crore Buddhavanam project is the latest attraction from the Telangana Tourist Development Corporation. It is known that in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Nagarjuna Sagar was a seat of Buddhism and several scholars and seekers came from far and wide.As for Buddhavanam in Telangana state, it is a fruit of 5 years of hard work where world-class infrastructure has been developed to attract international tourists, especially from south-east Asia and, of course, the local tourists. The maha stupa happens to be a white dome with golden lotus petals, and the stone walls are a replica of the original 1700-yr-old Amaravati stupa in dimensions, shape, and design.If one spends time walking around the Pancha Dhyana Buddhas on four sides and four cardinal directions, one will spot the panels from Nelakondapalli, a neighboring town that also happens to have Buddhist connections. Apparently, 1200 artisans worked for five years to come up with this absolutely enticing stupa of sorts.Also, one has to observe and relish the beauty of heavily engraved doors that symbolize pragna or wisdom, a Buddhist heritage museum, an amphitheater, and an interpretation center beside a 28-foot stupa of Buddha in dhyana mudra. Sitting under the dome is an experience in itself, thanks to the calm and serene vibrations it generates.There are also depictions of the life and times of Buddha. But a backlit replica of the 27-foot Avukana Buddha statue donated by the government of Sri Lanka and the Dhamma Bell are a must-see while here.However, that is not all. Soon, there will be a dhyanavanam, stupavanam. Also, popular monasteries of Southeast Asia will be starting their chapters here, and there will be a Buddhist university, research library, hospital with Tibetan herbal medicine, Buddhist crafts village, and cottages to stay in for tourists. For now, tourists can stay at the TSTDC resort in Vijay Vihar, which is about 3km away from Buddhavanam.

Get Entranced At Buddhavanam, Just Three Hours Away From City

Apparently, the city of Hyderabad has now come a full circle in terms of development, and after saturation of west, it has started growing towards the east and is now expanding in the region where it first started, i.e., around Golconda.&nbsp;Golconda was inhabited a little over 550 years ago, and the city of Hyderabad was formed in 1591 CE after the capital city Golconda could not hold the growing population. Hyderabad first expanded south of the Musi river, and a couple of decades later, Sultan Nagar was formed towards the east.However, after the death of the Qutb ruler, the expansion was stalled for some time but was later resumed by the sultan’s wife, Hayat Bakshi Begum.Also, the floods in river Musi and pandemics and epidemics, the authorities were forced to develop the city towards the north by developing Ameenpur, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, and it further grew towards the north when Kukatpally, BHEL, ICRISAT were formed.Now, years later, the city is once again developing along the Golconda, Shaikpet zone, and on the old Surat-Mumbai trade route. If one drives around the area, one can see both sides of the roads filled with skyscrapers, and the west side of the city not only meant development, growing population but also job promotion.But the historians of the city share that the city of Hyderabad had always expanded in a circular form. They say once the western part gets saturated, it would once again develop towards the north. Also, there has been tremendous growth following the opening of the new airport at Shamshabad. According to geographer and GI scientist Kevin Haynes, the next growth axis would be towards the north.

Expansion of Hyderabad Comes a Full Circle

The special drive to crack down on unauthorized constructions in the <a href="https://www.hmda.gov.in/">HMDA</a> (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) limits, which began on Monday, continued for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday, unauthorized constructions in Shankarpally Municipality, Pochampally Municipality, Badangpet Municipal Corporation, and Dundigal Municipality were cracked down.The DTFs (District Task Forces) took up the special demolition drive constituted as a part of Self-Certification (TS-bPASS) implementation and Telangana State Building Permission Approval.Before the drive was initiated, the Metropolitan Commissioner, Arvind Kumar, had constituted four teams for a ground survey to identify unauthorized constructions. The DTFs demolished the buildings based on the report.The Metropolitan Commissioner has already ordered commissioners of all municipal corporations and municipalities in the HMDA limits to take down unauthorized constructions in their respective jurisdictions and submit a report on the actions taken.

Demolition on Illegal Constructions Continues in HMDA Limits

Well, the work has been going on for some years. Some dignitaries visited places like China to have a concrete vision for coming up with a gigantic sitting statue of Saint Ramanujacharya. Now, the huge sculpture is almost complete, and it will be unveiled to the public next month, which is February 2022.For the unversed, the statue will come upon the premises of Chinna Jeeyar Trust at Muchintal, and it is expected to become a great world tourist center. The statue is being built by the Jeeyar Trust. Now that the inauguration is almost round the corner, ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and V Srinivas Goud visited the Trust area and had an overview of the situation with regards to roads and other infrastructure to reach the spot. They also discussed the arrangements for the inaugural function of the statue.President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several other dignitaries will be attending the event. The ministers during the visit mentioned that all arrangements were being monitored by chief minister KCR himself. They said that it was a matter of pride that such a place was coming up in the state, which is bound to become a religious place. The ministers also lauded the efforts of KCR to develop temples across the state and added that the development of Yadadri was a classic example of KCR’s sincerity.The ministers also extended their salutations to the Jeeyar Trust for coming up with such a beautiful statue. Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, My Home proprietor Rameshwar Rao, and other officials were also part of the event.

Ramanujacharya Statue to Become a World Tourist Site

Recently, the Hyderabad Traffic Police chose to use a picture of Allu Arjun from the blockbuster film 'Pushpa' to create awareness among the bikers on the need to wear helmets while riding. The cops tried to make good use of the tremendous craze Allu Arjun and his film Pushpa enjoy, which has definitely gained attention, especially on social media.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/nbn-engine/uploads/9d28d1bb18a7131dbb154e9f79c6a4a2b9539ca7.jpg" alt=""> In the poster put out by the traffic police department, the superstar is seen wearing a checked shirt and riding a bike with a helmet on. The post emphasized how helmets save lives and urged the public to wear them while riding two-wheelers.Pushpa has taken the box office by storm with collections over Rs 300 crore and its Hindi version crossing Rs 90 crore. Interestingly, Allu Arjun's 2020 family entertainer 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo' is scheduled to release its dubbed Hindi version in cinemas on January 26 to cash in on the craze of Pushpa.

City Cops' Smart Move To Urge Bikers to Wear Helmets

We often get impatient with the traffic congestion on roads. Increased vehicles, bad roads, and frequent traffic jams are quite common in the city. But then, Hyderabad roads are still better than the roads in other metros. The average speed of vehicles on Hyderabad city roads is higher than the average speed of vehicles in other metros. This was revealed in some private survey.The average speed of vehicles in Delhi in 2021 is 20.60 kilometers per hour. The average speed on Mumbai roads is 19 kmph. Kolkata recorded an average speed of 19 kmph. But, the situation is better in the southern cities. It is 24 km in Chennai and 21 km in Bangalore. In Hyderabad, the average speed of vehicles improved to 25 kmph. Before the arrival of Corona in 2019, the average vehicle speed in Hyderabad was 23 kmph.Traffic Joint Commissioner AV Ranganath said that steps are being taken in collaboration with GHMC to ensure the smooth movement of vehicles on the roads. "The average speed of vehicles has improved with the collective measures of the traffic police and the GHMC. The expansion of roads and construction of flyovers were being discussed from time to time to make it better," he said.

Commute On Hyderabad Roads Better Than Other Metros!

Liquor sales increased in Greater Hyderabad during the Sankranthi. In three days, Excise officials said the sales were over Rs 100 crore. The sales were higher than on normal days despite the fact around 40 Lakh people have left the city to their native places. Rangareddy district has the highest amount of sales worth 55 Crore Rupees.In the Rangareddy district, over 25 Crores Rupees sales were recorded. In the Medchal district, sales are estimated at Rs 20 crore. Liquor sales usually increase during Dussehra and December 31. This time, Sankranthi is also added to the list. Back-to-back holidays helped the sales in the Sankranthi season.Excise officials said Rs 171 crore worth of Liquor was sold in a single day on December 31st. Telangana government has got around 30,000 Crore Rupees income only from the sale of liquor in 2021. In December alone, the sales are over 3,000 Crore. The revenue nearly got tripled from Rs 10,833 Crore in 2014-15, the first year after the state bifurcation.

100 Crore Liquor Sales In Three Days

IT Coaching Centers in Ameerpet have been handy for many in their job search and Foreign dreams. But thanks to the pandemic, the existence of coaching centers has become difficult. They are struggling to stand on their feet with students reluctant to join for two years. In the 83 complexes in Ameerpet, GHMC estimates the presence of 1,871 institutes.But more than 300 have been already closed. Training centers are also offering e-learning through online courses and specialized apps but still, there are no takers for many institutes. Some of the centers have been vacated due to the shifting of their operations online. Others have been closed due to a lack of students.Many hostels dependent on the students joining in these institutes have also pulled down the shutters. The coaching institutes and hostels have started recovering slowly in the last few months and are hoping for good joinings in the summer but the third wave has crushed their hopes once again. Some of the popular centers have multiple branches in areas like Ameerpet, Kukatpally, Himayatnagar, and Dilsukhnagar. Even such centers have been running only the main branch and shut down other branches.&nbsp;In Ameerpet, HMDA owns the famous Maitrivanam complex which houses many Training institutes. The centers are requesting to lower the rents and extend the lease agreements.

Ameerpet Coaching Centers Facing Existence Crisis

Hyderabad’s IT corridor is now being made pedestrian-friendly. To make sure that the people get to walk on footpaths or probably cycle in the area, the state government has taken various initiatives to refresh the entire corridor.&nbsp;At present, the construction of pavements at link roads is underway at the cost of Rs 23 crore. Remodeling of pavements on main roads, construction of four foot-over-bridges (FoBs), and development of a junction are underway to ensure the safety of the commuters in the Serilingampally zone that falls under GHMC.Both GHMC and HMDA are working together to bring about the desired face-change to the corridor. While the pavements on link roads are being remodeled by HRDCL, the pavements on main roads are being remodeled by comprehensive road maintenance program (CRMP) agencies under the supervision of GHMC engineers. Grills, signage are also being installed at appropriate locations. Saplings are also being planted at some stretches.Presently, the old Bombay Highway-Delhi Public School via Engineering Staff College, Nizampet X Roads-Hitex Junction, Road No 70 Jubilee Hills (Prashasan Nagar)-Narne Road, Jubilee Hills, Kondapur Masjid junction-Miyapur Metro Depot are stretches where the works are on.However, it has to be noted that works have been delegated to various bodies as a part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) to reduce the burden on GHMC. A hospital and a company have been given their respective stretches to work upon.Meanwhile, the urban community wing of GHMC is also identifying locations for street vendors. After disbursing the loan granted under PM SVANidhi Scheme, the civic body has suggested certain stretches to street vendors during a recently held camp.Once all these works come to a conclusion, the GHMC officials promise that the IT corridor will sport a fresh look.

Efforts On To Make Hyderabad’s IT Corridor Pedestrian Friendly

Telangana Government finally acted upon the High Court's direction to regulate the fees in Private Schools and Colleges. The Cabinet meeting held on Monday had decided to bring a law to regulate the fees of the Private Schools and Colleges from the next academic year.Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao also opined that it is time to introduce English medium in Government schools to benefit the poor. Accordingly, the Cabinet has decided to appoint a Cabinet subcommittee that will study the various demands of the parents and recommendations of the experts and put proposals before the Government.Meanwhile, Telangana Parents Association (TPA) welcomed the decision of the Government. "This decision will be a huge relief to the poor and the middle-class. Introducing English medium in Government schools will also strengthen the schools and make education affordable to the poor. We request the Government to finish the exercise to implement both these decisions as soon as possible," the association said in a Press release.

Cabinet Decides To Regulate Fees In Private Schools And Colleges

On Monday, a leading brand in South India in TMT bars, Radha Smelters, launched the first of its kind 550 D Ladle Refining Furnace( LRF) Thermo Mechanically Treated (TMT) Bars produced through the LRF route.The product was launched by popular Telugu actor and the company's brand ambassador Rana Daggubati, along with the company's leadership at an event held at HICC.According to Sunil Saraf, company chairman, the new range bars are considered ideal for critical high-rise buildings and infrastructure projects. There are several grades in steel bars. 550 D is one of the most superior grade steel bars with high elasticity and has been introduced for the first time in Telangana.Saraf said that it is a special grade bar that only a few companies in the country are able to manufacture. This grade is used in high rises and for dams, bridges, ports, flyovers, wind turbine foundations, and other structures that need a high load-bearing capacity.Radha Smelters also has plans of expansion of its capacity at its Chinna Shankarmpet unit in Telangana's Medak district. In the financial year 2022-23, the company aims to achieve Rs 1500 crores.