A large number of trees, heavily pruned, are being moved on a mission mode to facilitate the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure project near the KBR National Park, under implementation by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
The trees on the stretches where seven flyovers and seven underpasses are proposed around the park, are being uprooted using heavy machinery, and translocated to open areas and road margins in the scorching summer heat, where they are being supplied with copious amount of water using tanker hoses.
The district tree protection committee (TPC), in 2025, issued permission for felling of a total 1,532 trees, and translocation of 380 trees. Only 30 trees are to be retained as per the committee’s directions.
While most trees proposed for felling are conocarpus, a large number of other species too such as neem, jamun, pongamia, copperpod, rain tree, millingtonia, pogada, temple tree, palm, mahogany, tamarind, sandal wood, and several others are marked for felling, for reasons as flimsy as ‘crooked’ growth and ‘root uplift’.
GHMC sought felling permission for a total 1,942 trees in its revised application. This is higher than the 1,300 trees originally proposed to be felled when flyovers were sought to be constructed near the park a decade ago under the Strategic Road Development Plan.
