The Telangana State Board for Wild Life cleared the state government's Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP) which includes the construction of six multi-level flyovers near Kasu Brahmananda National Park in Hyderabad. This proposal will be forwarded to the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) which will meet in Delhi on July 29.
KBR Park in Hyderabad | via Commons
However, those fighting to keep the pristine KBR Park say that the proposed flyovers fall within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). These areas are notified by the Centre to ensure a 'buffer zone' around an ecologically sensitive zone like a national park, to see that the areas inside the zone are protected and to prevent any construction activity and demolitions happening in and around the zone.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had promised when he took over the charge that he would make the city of Hyderabad into a Dallas. Hyderabad did not need alterations for it already was a city worth living in and people were vying to live here for its great weather, hi tech city jobs and and it was cheaper than most other cities.
Due to the apathy of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the roads in the city are in a pathetic condition leading to heavy traffic jams. But the officials working for the Telangana government have now struck upon a new idea—to build six flyovers over the KBR park, the only major green breathing space in the city.
The KBR, as it is popularly called, is in the Jubilee Hills. The park has an area of 390-acres, which was declared as a National Park by the Andhra Pradesh government after getting approval from the Centre in 1998. It is a jungle amidst the concrete jungle, with peacocks and other animals. This park is the lung space in this busy city and is frequented by those wanting walking space and is a favourite with both the young and old. And to remind us that we do live in the city of the Nizams, there is the Chiraan Palace on six acres within the park and this is also notified as part of the national park. This entire property belonged to the Nizam.
But under the SRDP, the state plans to construct multi-layer flyovers over 20 key junctions in the city. One of the flyovers would require trees to be axed at KBR Park. Minister for forests and environment Jogi Ramanna, however, said that there will be no threat to the KBR park. That argument beats common sense, since the flyovers crisscross over the borders of the KBR Park.
The state is also using devious methods to revise the ECZ of the national park between three and 28 metres, after which the SRDP will be implemented. Surprisingly, the Telangana government had sent a proposal way back in December 2015 to declare the KBR Park walkway as an eco-sensitive zone. Now it is reneging on its own declaration. The state's own principal chief conservator of forests filed an objection in May 2016 saying that the area of the ESZ should be reduced to accommodate the SRDP.
But the citizens of Hyderabad are not to remain quiet. A PIL filed in the Hyderabad High Court argues that 'cutting trees is no solution'. The National Green Tribunal also had directed the Telangana government to maintain status quo in and around the KBR park and had stayed the government order (GO 19) that granted 'permission to fell trees'. But the state government has gone around the orders of the NGT, too, and is claiming that it will trans locate the trees, instead of axing them and is hoping to win brownie points with the environment clearing agent. This can be challenged in the court of law.
But the fear of the city-based Human Rights & Consumer Protection Cell (HRCPC) Trust is that the National Green Tribunal will most likely believe the machinations of the state and allow the trees at the KBR Park to be axed and allow the SRDP to take place. The Trust says that cutting trees for flyovers will not ease the traffic problems. They have filed an affidavit to the the NGT saying that the government should widen roads, have more pedestrian crossing, footpaths to ease the traffic rather than building flyovers over green space.
A transport study conducted by the GHMC recommends 28 flyovers (10 in the peripheral area and 18 in the core area), by 2021. Two of these three intersections are around the KBR Park as part of the SRDP project.
