In the visual arts a cityscape or urban landscape is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape.
Durgam Cheruvu/ Raidurgam Cheruvu/ Secret Lake, Hyderabad
Very close to my home is the Durgam Cheruvu or Secret Lake, also known as Raidurgam Cheruvu. This freshwater lake, spread over 83 acres and located in Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Telangana, is known as the Secret Lake because it is hidden in a small valley of sorts between the localities of Jubilee Hills and Madhapur. The Durgam Cheruvu Bridge, which traverses the lake, was inaugurated in September 2020. Under the rule of the Qutub Shahi dynasty (ca. 1518–1687), this lake served as the drinking water source for the residents of the fortified citadel of Golconda.
There are a lot of unique rock formations abutting the lake which is why it was designated a protected area. In 2001, the state high court issued an order to the local pollution board and the city's water supply and sewerage board to not allow development of new residential localities near the lake. Furthermore, the court order also asked these agencies to take immediate steps for prevention or collection and treatment of domestic sewage flowing into the lake from the residential colonies in the vicinity and catchment area of the lake. Despite these notifications, the local agencies have failed in controlling both pollution and illegitimate constructions on the lake bed. To tackle pollution in the lake, sewage treatment plants were set up by the local pollution control board in 2006. As years passed by, the plant became non-functional. A separate sewerage treatment plant (STP) was set up at Durgam Cheruvu by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, after Government of Telangana approved it in 2022.
Today the lake is considerably cleaner as compared to a few years back and Durgam Cheruvu is now a place to relax. I can only hope that the people who visit the lake and the park around it keep it clean and put all the trash in the bins provided. There is also a walking/ jogging track going around almost the entire lake which I hope will help to keep the surroundings clean.
View the Panorama
Narsingi Skyline & the Outer Ring Road, Hyderabad
The Outer Ring Road encircling the modern metropolis of Hyderabad, abbreviated as, O.R.R., is an 8-lane orbital expressway of about 158km and probably one of the best expressways in the country. The expressway is designed for speeds up to 120 km/h. A large part, 124 km (covering urban nodes viz., Hi- Tech city, Nanakramguda Financial District, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, IKP Knowledge park, Hardware Park, Telangana State Police Academy, Singapore Financial District, and Games village) of the 158-km was opened by December 2012.
This orbital expressway provides easy connectivity between National Highway (NH) 44, NH 65, NH 161, NH 765 and NH 163 from Hyderabad to Vijayawada and Warangal as well as state highways leading to Vikarabad, Nagarjuna Sagar and Karimnagar /Mancherial. The Outer Ring Road also helps in reducing the travel time from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to cities like Nizamabad & Adilabad as it connects to NH44. The expressway is fenced and 33 radial roads connect it with the Inner Ring Road, and the upcoming Regional Ring Road.
The Government of Telangana is also constructing a 23 km long cycling track on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between the main carriageway and service road. The foundation stone was laid by the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) K. T. Rama Rao in September 2022. The cycle track is 8.5km long from Nanakramguda Junction to the Telangana State Police Academy (TSPA) and 14.50km from Narsingi to Kollur covered with solar panel rooftops along the stretch with a capacity of 16MW. The width of the cycle track is 4.5 metres with a one-metre green space on either side. The cycle track is the improved version of the South Korean model, which provides more facilities like lighting, protection from rain, parking and other amenities such as food stalls.
Glow in the dark wall graffiti, Singapore
Sunset at the MAHA Tower - Persiaran Putera, Kedah, Langkawi, Malaysia
MAHA Tower - The root of the tower’s name is derived from the Malay word “maha”, which translates to “the almighty” – crowning it as an icon of confidence and courage, while also honouring the legendary Mahsuri, the tragically beautiful embodiment of grace, innocence, and candour.
Candy Town, Sentosa
Candy town on the island of Pulau Blakang Mati, is a resort island in Singapore, better known as Sentosa. It was once a British military base and a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, and many Chinese were found killed on its beach during the Japanese occupation. The island was renamed Sentosa and turned into a tourist destination in 1972, and it is now home to a popular resort that receives some twenty million visitors per year.
Moulin Rouge, Paris
Pudong from the Bund, Shanghai
La tour Eiffel depuis Sacré-Cœur, Paris
Chinese Garden, Singapore - Infrared Photo
i-Light Singapore - Jubilee Bridge: Oriflammes
i-Light Singapore - Time Frame, Jubilee Bridge
Bukit Timah Railway Station, Singapore
i-Light Singapore - Anderson Bridge