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KBR Park Road Plan Scrapped After Trees Were Cut
The article says Hyderabad needs better roads, but argues that the government chose a costly plan around KBR Park before trying simpler traffic changes.
It says many trees were cut or damaged for the original project.
Later, a one-way traffic system reportedly helped traffic move smoothly.
The GHMC then dropped the junction plan and approved one elevated corridor instead.
The writer says courts and residents had warned about the project’s effects on trees and the environment.
GHMC says the new plan will save money.
The writer asks how much was already spent and what will happen to the work already done.
The article also criticizes other state projects for being changed after public or court objections.
The article says a 2024 H-CITI proposal approved about Rs 826 crore for seven flyovers and seven underpasses around KBR Park, with the estimate later rising to Rs 1,090 crore.
It says the government’s proposal listed 1,942 trees for removal or relocation, and nearly 2,000 mature trees had been cut or heavily lopped by May 16.
According to the article, a one-way traffic system was introduced in August 2026 and traffic flowed smoothly; on October 3, the GHMC Standing Committee scrapped the junction plan and approved one elevated corridor.
The writer says courts and citizens had raised environmental and procedural concerns, and that the Supreme Court halted felling within 25 to 35 metres of the park boundary on May 18.
The article reports that GHMC says the replacement plan will save Rs 1,200 crore, while questioning prior spending, cancellation costs, and the new corridor’s route.
- Who
- The Telangana government and GHMC; the article is written by a member of the Telangana Legislative Council.
- What
- The article criticizes the handling of road projects around KBR National Park and the replacement of a flyover-and-underpass plan with a single elevated corridor.
- Where
- Around Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park in Hyderabad, Telangana.
- When
- The article cites a 2024 sanction, a one-way system in August 2026, and a GHMC decision on October 3; it also refers to court actions and protests.
- Why
- The writer argues that the project proceeded without first testing simpler traffic measures and caused avoidable tree loss and public expense.
Environmental and accountability concerns
Road improvements and claimed savings
Need for road upgrades
Environmental and accountability concerns
The writer accepts that Hyderabad needs roads that improve traffic but argues that simpler options should have been tested before trees were cut.
Road improvements and claimed savings
The article describes the project as intended to improve traffic movement, and GHMC says its replacement plan will save Rs 1,200 crore.
Environmental impact
Environmental and accountability concerns
The writer argues that the tree loss harmed KBR Park and that citizens’ and courts’ concerns were not adequately heeded.
Road improvements and claimed savings
The article says the new corridor is being presented as a six-lane, signal-free route that will not harm greenery, though it does not provide an independent assessment of that claim.
Cost and transparency
Environmental and accountability concerns
The writer questions how much was spent on the discarded plan, what cancellation will cost, and where the new corridor will run.
Road improvements and claimed savings
GHMC’s stated position, as reported, is that the replacement plan will produce savings on land acquisition and construction.
Key facts
- Original approved amount
- About Rs 826 crore under H-CITI, according to the article.
- Later estimate
- Rs 1,090 crore, as reported in the article.
- Trees in government proposal
- 1,942: 1,532 to be felled, 380 to be uprooted, and 30 to be spared.
- Reported tree impact
- Nearly 2,000 mature trees had been cut down or heavily lopped by May 16.
- Revised road plan
- The GHMC Standing Committee reportedly scrapped the junction plan and approved one elevated corridor on October 3.
- Claimed savings
- GHMC says the revised plan will save Rs 1,200 crore: Rs 800 crore on land acquisition and Rs 400 crore on construction.
- Supreme Court action
- The article says the court halted tree felling within 25 to 35 metres of the park boundary on May 18.
Quotes
Old crow
A character in the article’s opening fable about birds and a tree.
“Had you thought of this at the start, the tree would still stand and none of us would have lost a thing.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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