Citizens Protest Against Road-Widening: A Battle for KBR National Park's Survival

Citizens in Hyderabad are protesting against the state government's road-widening plans around KBR National Park. The Supreme Court has halted tree felling in the eco-sensitive zone around the park, responding to a plea challenging the potential environmental damage caused by reducing the park's protective buffer zone.

In a dramatic demonstration coinciding with World Environment Day, concerned citizens gathered outside Hyderabad's Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park, voicing their disapproval of the Telangana government's road-widening projects near the park. The protest serves as a pivotal moment in an ongoing environmental battle.

The dissent comes after the Supreme Court intervened by imposing a stay on the felling of trees within a 25 to 35 meter eco-sensitive zone surrounding the park. This directive followed a plea that challenged the legality of reducing the protective buffer zone to just 3 to 29.8 meters, a move reportedly aimed at accommodating infrastructure development.

Central to the contention is a petition by Kaajal Maheshwari, who argues that the reduced buffer zone fundamentally undermines the ecological protection intended for KBR National Park, which acts as a crucial green lung for Hyderabad. As infrastructure projects threaten the area, the call for urgency and intervention grows louder.