SC committee inspects KBR park amid allegations of eco-zone violations in Hyderabad project

Members of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) have arrived in Hyderabad to investigate allegations of violations of the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in connection with the H-CITI project.

On Friday, the committee inspected the national park and its surroundings, including ongoing construction of flyovers and underpasses on the park's peripheries. They later met GHMC officials, including Commissioner R.V. Karnan and Chief Engineer Sahadev Ratnakar, as well as Forest Department officials to discuss ESZ-related issues.

The inspection follows complaints by city-based environmentalists that the ESZ was improperly fixed and that tree felling occurred despite a Supreme Court stay. The apex court had earlier halted tree felling within the ESZ but allowed project work to continue. The CEC reportedly acted after receiving alerts about tree felling near the park while the stay was in effect.

CEC member Anjan Kumar Mohanty has invited the complainants—Kaajal Maheshwari, Jasveen Jairath, and Sagar Dhara—for a hearing on Monday. The three had challenged the ESZ notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in October 2020, arguing that no public hearing was conducted despite an expert committee's recommendation.

They initially approached the High Court against the ESZ notification. When the GHMC proceeded with the H-CITI project before the matter was resolved, they moved the Supreme Court for relief. The court's stay on tree felling remains in effect, and the CEC's inspection aims to verify compliance.