Problem statement:

in 2019 - The state had prepared a proposal reducing the beautiful walkway to as little as 3m to 29.8m as against the current minimum 25m-35m which the citizens had been hopeful for. Hence when this revised draft was put in Public Domain in 2019 – the MOEF was flooded by several hundred emails, protests took place, postcards were mailed and a change.org petition with 19000 thousand of Signatures was sent as objections.

• The Committee noted the strong public concern and objections it emphasized that: The proposal must be placed in the public domain and a public hearing is mandatory and the Objections and suggestions must be properly considered and Due process under ESZ guidelines must be followed.

As the citizens were waiting for the public hearing to be initiated, suddenly on On 27 October 2020, MoEFCC published that the final ESZ notification for KBR Park (Gazette No. S.O.3879E / MoEFCC Gazette No. 3425). The buffer zone as per this notification ranged from as little as 3 metres to 29.80 metres. This was unbelievable for the citizens of Hyderabad

On delving deeper as to how this was even possible it was found out that on Aug 18 the state government claimed to the  MOEF that  a public hearing was conducted but they stated that the documents were delayed due to the pandemic situation. This was strange as how could the public hearing meeting be conducted during Covid times and further, if it was conducted, how come such a big event that so many Hyderabadis were looking forward to attend was not even known? Activists filed several RTIs asking for the Public hearing Documents from the State and received replies that they were not available clearing pointed that it never took place.

Following this procedural lapse  -  The petitioners Kaajal Maheshwari, Jasveen Jairath and Sagar Dhara, present W.P. (PIL) No. 42 of 2021 on 25.03.2021 challenging the Final ESZ Notification dated 27.10.2020 and seeking protection of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park and its Eco-Sensitive Zone. Notice was issued by the Hon’ble High Court on 30.04.2021. By order dated 11.08.2021, this Hon’ble Court directed the Respondents to furnish details of the public hearing and particulars of each tree, including age, height, variety, and felling status, and restrained the felling of 1,300 trees till the next date of hearing. it has been 4.5 years and the details yet have not been submitted.

While the case is subjudice and the ESZ is disputed, the work for a completely new project  HCITI has started claiming that they have the required permissions from the Tree Protection Commitee. It is being claimed that permission for tree felling and related activities has been granted by a “Tree Protection Committee” which is constituted under the WALTA Act. However, the WALTA ACT framework does not provide for such a committee. The statutory authorities recognized under the Act are the Hyderabad District WALTA Authority and the State WALTA Authority, and no valid approval from these competent authorities has been placed in the public domain!!

From an environmental and scientific perspective, large-scale tree cutting and the reduction of natural water absorption and recharge areas directly contribute to rising urban temperatures, ecological degradation, and the worsening impacts of climate change and global warming. Equally concerning is the increase in transport-related emissions, congestion, vibration, and noise pollution that are likely to arise from the proposed infrastructure project, particularly in the ecologically sensitive surroundings of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park.

Objections to HCITI:

1) It was on the basis of the SRDP which the ESZ around KBR NP was reduced, has been silently abandoned. In its place, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has floated the Hyderabad City Innovative Transport Improvement (“HCITI”) project under NIT No. 13/SE/(P-WZ)/GHMC/2024-25 dated 21.02.2025 and EPC Packages I & II dated 27.12.2024. HCITI covers six junctions around the Park, including the Cancer Hospital junction which was not part of SRDP, and involves flyovers-cum-underpasses which was also not a part of SRDP. However HCITI has never been placed before the ESZ Expert Committee, the State Board for Wildlife, or the MoEF&CC, nor has any fresh ESZ calibration or re-notification been undertaken.

2) The ESZ notification being under judicial challenge and the matter being sub judice before the competent court, tree felling, branch cutting, and excavation activities have reportedly commenced on the basis of the disputed ESZ boundaries being treated as final. Proceeding with this irreversible on-ground actions during the pendency of legal proceedings raises serious concerns regarding due process  environmental safeguards.

3) It is common knowledge that construction of flyovers results in increasing vehicular traffic, hence increased traffic congestion and vehicular pollution. The HCITI project pretends to be unknowing of this fact and puts the onus on regulations, officers and institutions which have limited authority and susceptible to Government influence. An independent third-party traffic study by a credible and qualified institution must be conducted to objectively assess and validate the necessity, feasibility, and projected benefits of undertaking such a large-scale infrastructure project that uses Public Money and is destructive to the Park.

4) The entire local community (Hyderabad) has been protesting regarding the illegal tree felling and ongoing flyover construction for over a decade now and the State has chosen to ignore the same. Sufficient evidence by way of photographs, newspaper clippings and videos can be found in the Gallery section of Facebook page "SaveKBR" and Insta Handle “SaveKBR". The decision-makers cannot disregard public sentiment and expert opinion highlighting that the reduction of the ESZ buffer zone, along with the proposed construction of environmentally damaging multi-level flyovers surrounding Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, may ultimately aggravate rather than resolve the very environmental and urban challenges the project seeks to address.

5) The HCITI Project has proceeded with a concerning lack of transparency. To date, there has been no publicly available Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), environmental clearance process, Detailed Project Report (DPR), comprehensive traffic study, or meaningful public consultation and hearing. If the State is confident in the necessity and merits of the project, these documents and assessments must be placed in the public domain for independent scrutiny, informed discussion, and participatory decision-making. Such transparency is essential not only to identify potential flaws and long-term environmental and urban risks, but also to explore alternative solutions that may be more sustainable, cost-effective, and better aligned with the vision of building Hyderabad into a truly resilient and world-class city.

Solution:

• All ongoing and proposed work connected to the HCITI project must be immediately halted until the pending legal proceedings are conclusively resolved, all mandatory environmental procedures are completed, and a proper public hearing is conducted after placing all relevant documents and studies in the public domain.
• This ESZ-notification has to be nullified taking into consideration the specific circumstances of the KBR National Park, understanding the poor assessment of the State Government in sending such proposals, and the objections raised in this petition.
• The Expert Committee should insist on the State Government to explore real and sustainable alternatives to overcome the traffic problems in the city, such as improving public transit facilities with last mile connectivity, promoting bicycling and walking, and restrict vehicular movement – all of which do not need encroaching upon the already very limited open space that exists around the KBR National Park.
• In the alternative, the entire 25–35 metre walkway surrounding Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park should be formally notified and protected as part of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), and all prohibited or environmentally harmful activities, including the construction of flyovers and similar large-scale infrastructure, should be barred within a 1-kilometre radius in order to preserve the ecological buffer necessary for the long-term protection of the National Park.