Activists stand united over KBR tree cutting

Metro India News | Hyderabad  

Hyderabad witnessed a strong show of solidarity as citizens, activists, environmentalists, and nature lovers came together under the Save KBR movement. The gathering reflected what participants described as a collective stand for accountability on the ground rather than symbolic protest. Prominent voices included Narasimha Donthi, Sagar Dhara, Kingshuk Nag, Lubna Sarwath, and petitioner Kaajal Maheshwari. 

The Supreme Court on Monday stopped tree felling within the eco-sensitive zone around Hyderabad’s KBR National Park while hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Kaajal Maheshwari, who challenged the Telangana High Court’s refusal to grant interim relief in the matter. A Supreme Court bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan directed that no trees should be felled within the 25 to 35 metre eco-sensitive zone around the park. The petition was regarding the government’s flyover and underpass works under the H-CITI corridor project. The order is expected to temporarily stall portions of the ongoing works near KBR Park.

Activists and residents were campaigning against the Hyderabad City Innovative and Trans format ive Infrastructure (H-CITI) project, part of the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), under which a flyover and underpass works were to be built. They described the order as temporary relief. The court issued notice to the authorities and posted the matter to July 27.

Maheshwari stated that the park is being surrounded by seven flyovers and underpasses, replacing ecological protection with continuous pollution and heat stress. She described the movement as a “citizen accountability effort,” not a protest group. She also referenced 18 April tree felling incidents, 19,000 objections, 200–300 emails, RTI filings, and an earlier Supreme Court stay order by Justice Hima Kohli which, she argues, still holds relevance. 

Donthi highlighted years of legal struggle and questioned absence of official documentation for the H-CITI project. Dhara stressed that ESZ protection ideally required a 1 km buffer earlier suggested in 2022. Others raised concerns about fragmentation of infrastructure projects to bypass environmental scrutiny.