Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed tree felling around KBR National Park. The case relates to road expansion works linked to the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP).
The court issued notices to the Centre and the Telangana government while hearing a petition against the proposed cutting of trees near the park. A bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan passed the interim order.
The bench directed authorities not to cut trees within the 25 to 35 metre Eco-Sensitive Zone surrounding the park until further orders. Environmental activist Kajal Maheshwari filed the petition after the Telangana High Court refused interim relief.
The Supreme Court stay is expected to temporarily halt SRDP works near the park.
KBR National Park buffer zone under scrutiny
The petitioner argued that KBR National Park, notified under Section 35 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, remained a highly sensitive urban forest zone. According to the petition, authorities first proposed a 25 to 35 metre buffer zone around the park.
However, the government later reduced the limit to between 3 metres and 29.8 metres. The petition stated that authorities made the change to support infrastructure projects, including SRDP works.
The petitioner argued that the reduced buffer zone weakened protection against pollution and external noise. She also challenged the Union Environment Ministry’s final notification issued on October 27, 2020.
The petition further alleged that authorities carried out no scientific or environmental assessment before reducing the buffer zone. It claimed the government acted mainly to avoid land acquisition costs for road projects.
According to the plea, more than 19,000 people submitted objections against the move. However, officials allegedly ignored those objections. The petitioner also alleged that authorities falsely claimed they conducted a public hearing before issuing the notification.
The petitioner informed the court that she earlier approached the Telangana High Court over alleged violations around the park. However, the High Court deferred the matter to May 5 without granting immediate relief.
The Supreme Court later observed that environmental protection required urgent attention. It imposed an immediate stay on tree felling until further orders. The next hearing is scheduled for July 27.