Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel approved a ₹50 crore public-private blueprint to transform Atari village’s Nandanvan into a modern botanical hub.

RAIPUR, Aug 31 — Chhattisgarh’s top bureaucrats just signed off on a ₹50 crore plan to hand over Raipur’s famous Nandanvan park to private developers under a Public-Private Partnership model. Forest and Climate Change department officials presented the massive overhaul blueprint to Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel during a high-level review at Mahanadi Bhawan on Monday. The state isn’t just planting a few trees; it’s completely rebuilding the botanical reserve in Atari village to transform it into a premier eco-tourism destination.

And the government wants the private sector to shoulder the heavy financial lifting. Senior officials confirmed the redevelopment won’t rely entirely on state treasury funds, opting instead for a commercial operator to revamp the botanical garden and install modern tourist amenities. Sheel didn’t mince words during the presentation, issuing strict directives to prioritize high-grade visitor infrastructure alongside environmental conservation. But will bringing private operators into a public green space genuinely protect local biodiversity, or will commercial interests take over?

It’s a high-stakes gamble on public-private conservation.

The review brought out the state’s most powerful administrative machinery to clear the regulatory runway. Additional Chief Secretary for Forest Manoj Kumar Pingua joined Finance Secretary Dr Rohit Yadav, Housing and Environment Secretary Ankit Anand, and NRDA Chief Executive Officer Chandan Kumar to lock down the inter-departmental clearances. They’ve made sure land allocation and urban development protocols align before tenders hit the market. So the administration can’t afford logistical delays once private bids open.

Raipur’s urban footprint is expanding fast, and officials know the city’s green zones can’t survive without modern infrastructure.