HYDERABAD: On the premises of Public Gardens is the Agri-Horticultural society, a private society registered under the Societies Registration Act that organises, as the name suggests, horticultural activities. Active since 1953, the society is popular for its Bonzai plant shows, Ikbana, gardening school, sale of garden materials including vermicompost and so on. However, since March this year, the society has been at odds with its ex-officio president, who also serves as the commissioner of Horticulture, I Rani Kumidini. The society was asked to vacate its current premises within a period of three days and shift to an apartment that has been leased out to the Government.While the society managed to quash the order through a court ruling, they were further harangued. Said Ananth Reddy, chairman of the society, “Electricity supply was cut, our bank accounts frozen, the entrance gate locked up and the drive-way blocked by vehicles, garbage dumped into our compound, shade-nets removed and so on. We know who is responsible for this and find the acts immature. Nevertheless, this is not the way things are done.”Interestingly, the society’s by-laws are such that the ex-officio president doesn’t enjoy any specific privilege. Thus, technically, orders passed by them within the structure of the society do not hold intrinsic value without the general body ratifying it. Explained Dushant Kumar, the treasurer, “When we realised the accounts were frozen, we approached the bank, explained the by-laws and the hierarchy and got the accounts restored. We further got a court order to prevent problems. Such harassment is uncalled for.”Given the structure of the society, the executive committee may move for impeachment of the post. However, they are reluctant to do so. Niranjan Lal Shah, the senior-most member of the society, lamented, “We have always been encouraged in the past by the previous ex-officio presidents. In fact, the society itself was one of their brain-child. We wouldn’t like to affect the post.”
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