Sainikpuri

It is a part of Neredmet village, then it became Sainikpuri Colony. The name of the place is derived from the original residents who were sainiks, meaning soldiers, and puri meaning place. Sainikpuri started as a co-operative housing society venture in 1960 for retired army personnel. But now it has houses which belong to other defence services as well as civilians.[3]

There is a common auditorium / mess which offers a variety of services for the residents of Sainikpuri. These services include a gymnasium, a basketball court, a badminton court, a library, a community hall as well as get-togethers in the form of festival melas and the occasional game of tambola. Strolling by the sides of Kapra Lake, a lake close by, is another favourite pastime of the denizens of Sainikpuri. There is an abundance of ground water and greenery. The colony is very clean and the temperature is lower than most of the city because of its lush greenery. The housing plots originally allotted to the members of the Sainikpuri co-operative society were of the size of 700–1,000 square yards each. Owing to this reason, most residents of the colony enjoy the luxury of growing large lawns and beautiful gardens with a variety of flowering and fruiting trees, while others have the privilege to enjoy the beauty of its picturesque avenues. Most serving and retired members of armed forces residing in Sainikpuri are also the members of another club, the R.S.I.Club at Bolarum. This R.S.I.Club is strictly for the armed forces personnel, their families and their guests, and strict dress-code and manners are enforced. Movie-screenings and Tambola are held on Saturdays in the R.S.I. Club, Alwal, which also frequently organizes cultural events and welfare activities for the families of the officers.

Culturally Sainikpuri is Pan-Indian due to its Armed Forces origins, and has been home to people from almost every major culture of India. When Sainikpuri was established, it was removed from the rest of the Hyderabad-Secunderabad axis by at least 10 kilometers. In course of time, it slowly developed a cultural character of its own, that of a conglomerate of upper-middle-class families of diverse ethnic origins. Amongst the Hindu shrines of Sainikpuri are the Shirdi Saibaba Temple located near Sainikpuri Post-office in Saipuri colony and Sri Venkateshwara Temple at the Eshwaripuri Colony standing on the encroached part of the Kapra Lake. There is also the famous a Laxmi Narayan or the "Shiva-Vishnu" Temple close to the common auditorium of Sainikpuri. On its northern fringe, theiris a Christian shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni near Sainikpuri. There is a mosque in the Defence Colony area. The Nalla Pochamma (or Goddess Kali) Temple is in the Ambedkar Nagar area, and was founded, developed and maintained for almost 30 years by one Shri Maddela Hanumantha Rao who belongs to the place. Scores of devotees offer prayers at this shrine, especially on the annual festival known as 'Bonalu'. The former Chief of Army Staff and Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, General K.V. Krishna Rao, and several other retired senior officers of the Indian Army and the Indian Air force, besides those of the Civil Services, are amongst the distinguished residents of Sainikpuri. There are also veterans of private sector, such as Sri Nimmagadda Prasad, or the "Matrix Prasad" as he is popularly known for the reason that he is the force behind the Matrix Laboratories, who add colour to the cultural landscape of Sainikpuri. On the other hand, the area is not a preferred residential locality for the software professionals, Gachibowli, Hitech City, Miyapur and Kondapur, the traditional software areas of Hyderabad, being far away. It was in the Eshwarpuri Colony near Sainikpuri that the Telugu movie, "Dana Veera Sura Karna," considered to be an evergreen classic amongst Telugu movies starring Sri N.T. Rama Rao, was filmed.

Sainikpuri initially had four blocks - A, B, C and D. In early 1980s additional area was added to Sainikpuri and it became the E block. Neredmet Vayupuri is another residential area established and developed on the same lines along with Sainikpuri. Other residential colonies have come up to the north of Sainikpuri. Madhavpuri, Classic Enclave, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Colony, Lakshmipuri, Osmania University Teachers Colony (OUT Colony), Saibaba Officers Colony, Bhasker Rao Nagar (especially 40/1), Eshwaripuri colony, H M T Bearings Officer's Colony, Suryanagar Colony, Kalyan Gardens, Mahalakshmipuri (Excise) Colony, Shaili Gardens, Manik Sai Enclave, Tulsi Gardens, Maruthi Gardens, Sylvan Greens, Yapral residential area etc., are a few to name. Defence colony is another well established organized residential area adjoining Sainikpuri, and is as old as Sainikpuri. New eateries have developed like the Leo's Food Court, the 5th Avenue Bakery (probably the most popular hangout spot for most youngsters in the area), and a snack-bar called "Cakes & Coffee" located at the Eshwaripuri Colony. In the vicinity of the Defence Colony is another popular hangout for the youth, "Coffee & Books," which combines a restaurant with a library. There are restaurants, bars, movie-theatres and shopping complexes of all hues on the main road that leads from Sainikpuri to ECIL. So are cyber-cafes, currency exchange centres and other amenities. Super-speciality hospitals such as Paulomi Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Raghavendra Hospital can be accessed easily, besides several other clinics and dispensaries, including pet-clinics. Convenient stores such as Spencer's, Heritage and MORE, have their outlets in Sainikpuri. To buy garden-fresh vegetables and fruits, one can visit the "Alwal Santha" that happens every Monday on the double-road (known as High Tension Road) near the Eshwaripuri Colony. Airtel Broadband has its presence in most of the areas of Sainikpuri, apart from the ubiquitous BSNL. Most of these neighbourhoods are served by the Sainikpuri Post Office. Until the late 1980s, a police outpost manned by usually two constables served Sainikpuri, Vayupuri and the Defence colony, with the main police station at Kushaiguda. The police establishment continues to be rudimentary to this day, albeit with more frequent mobile patrolling. The law & order scenario though is surprisingly good, thanks to Sainikpuri's disciplined residents, though isolated incidents of drug-pedalling and chain-snatching were reported from the extension areas. Clement Cheema, the Nigerian drug-peddler who was alleged to have had links with several Tollywood actors and actresses, was arrested by the police in 2010 from a Sainikpuri extension area. These extension areas are popular amongst students from African countries visiting Hyderabad, and the enterprising ones amongst them have even started a restaurant, "Africa," on the way to Indus International School, which dishes out African recipes. Municipal administration of Sainikpuri falls under the purview of the Neredmet village Vayupuri and Defence Colony comes under Neredmet Village the Malkajgiri Municipality.

Bhavan's Sri RamaKrishna Vidyalaya, also known as Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Sainikpuri, is on the periphery of Sainikpuri, and many students from Sainikpuri and its extension areas study in this school. The school also has a state of the art cricket training academy, and has produced couple of national level cricketers. Another elite educational institution, Bhavan's Vivekananda College, which is also a part of the Bhavan's group of institutions, is located in close proximity to Sainikpuri, providing high quality graduate and postgraduate level education to students. The Bhavan's Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, initially just Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, a residential school being managed by the Ramakrishna Math along with the Sarada Devi Hospital on the A. S. Rao Nagar Main Road, was later handed over to the Bhavan's group. Some of its founder members were Late Brig. M. K. Rao and Late Lt. Col. Tiwari. Distinguished retired members of the armed forces continue to serve on the board and council of the Bhavan's Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya in various capacities.[4]

The Indus International School is another well known, elite educational establishment nearby. The school is known for its excellent sporting facilities including a full-length swimming pool which is open to outsiders on membership basis. Also close are the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bolarum, and the Army Public School.

There are also several tutoring centers for students of higher classes often run by the school faculty members and many similar private junior colleges which provide similar education. Apart from this, Sainikpuri is a hub for other disciplinary activities as well which include classical dance and music, classical instrument training and such.

There are many fitness clubs and health clubs around Sainikpuri. Carnival Club, which is a star-rated luxury club located inside the gated community of Tulsi Garden, includes a gym. The other facilities of Carnival Club include mini-theatre, banquet halls, convention centre, a swimming-pool, an open-air screen, and a bar & restaurant. Latheef's Gym, skies fitness center, Kaizen's Gym, Star Gym, Turnhalle Gym and Michael's Gym are some other popular fitness centres. The KR Club is another health club cum sports centre located near the Vayupuri Bus Stop on Vayupuri Main Road.

Filiko Books is one of the major book lending libraries in this neighbourhood and boasts 5000+ books catering for all groups. More books are added every month. There are comics, fiction, non-fiction, self-help, travel and so on which can be read at leisure and return. It is also possible to loan a number of popular magazines. The library is open on all days of a week with an exception on Tuesdays.[5]

There is the Meenakshi Shankar Music School at Vivekanandapuram, Sainikpuri for those seeking to learn Indian Classical Music. Semitone Music Academy and Symphony Music School cater to those who wish to learn Western Music, mainly guitar and musical keyboard. Freelance music teachers who come home and teach are also available in the area. Anuva Aquariums of Bhaskar Rao Nagar, Sainikpuri is one amongst the biggest dealers of aquariums and related accessories. Ocean World, and Mollies 'N' More, are the other aquarium sellers in the area. They also maintain aquariums for the corporate houses and large residences. Laxmi Kennels of Jyothinagar, Sainikpuri is a popular Kennel in the neighborhood. There are also kennels in the vicinity that offer lodging and boarding facilities to pet-dogs when the owners are away.

Kapra Lake, or the Kapra Pedda Cheruvu as it was originally recorded in the Revenue Department's records (Longitude :- 78° 33' 30", Latitude :- 17° 30' 00") is a restored tank with a recorded spread of 112 acres and 7 Guntas (44.87 hectares). It spreads roughly north–south on the eastern phalanx of Sainikpuri. A decade back this lake was deemed pristine and pollution free. It is however now marked as polluted and susceptible to encroachments by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, thanks to the growing industrialization in the vicinity and dumping of garbage from the nearby residential colonies. A part of the Kapra Lake stands encroached for the past few years, and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation recently listed 25 structures as encroachments of the Karpra Lake liable for demolition, including Sri Venkateshwara Temple. Sill Level (SL) of the sluice of the Kapra Lake stands recorded as +547.873 Meters, Full Tank Level (FTL) as +550.854 Meters, Maximum Water Level (MWL) as +551.614 Meters, and its Tank Bund Level (TBL) as +553.584 Meters. Length of its bund is measured at 1254 Meters. As of now, out of the original 50 FTL pillars fixed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the Hyderabad Lake Management Circle of the Irrigation Department, 13 pillars stand disturbed and removed by the encroachers. Efforts are underway to re-fix the missing pillars in order to prevent further encroachments. There are two feeder channels, two sluices, and two surplus courses for the Kapra Lake, this lake being part of a chain of water bodies, wherein the surplus course of the upper water body flows down into the lower water body. Thus, the Kapra Lake is intimately linked in the chain to the Banda Cheruvu of Malkajgiri, the Annanarayan Cheruvu of Nagaram, and the Yadi Bai Gunta of Yellareddy Guda. As a part of the citizens' initiative to protect the Kapra Lake, a rudimentary Lake Protection Body has been formed. But it has largely remained ineffective due to the muscle power of the encroachers and increasing political interference. The SL, FTL, MWL and TBL of the Kapra Lake were measured, and fixed under the ANDHRA PRADESH WATER, LAND AND TREES ACT – 2002 in the year 2005. Attempts were made by some encroachers to get the officially recorded levels altered in the garb of "re-constructing the bund and the sluices" (on the inner side of the existing bund and the sluices, thus shrinking the lake), but were thwarted by the vigilant citizen-activists.

• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-11/hyderabad/28146403_1_trees-walta-act-housing-society
• https://web.archive.org/web/20140809084602/http://cdm.ap.nic.in/
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• http://m.ibnlive.com/news/hyderabad-students-clean-kapra-lake/268669-62.html
• http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3585861.ece
• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-07/hyderabad/31304223_1_lake-surface-plastic-bags-cleaning
• http://www.soulhyd.org/lpc.html
• http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article444335.ece
• http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3563306.ece
• http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/03/15/stories/2005031500160400.htm