The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued an interim order halting all tree felling activities within the eco-sensitive zone surrounding Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park in Hyderabad. The bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan directed that no trees should be cut within the 25-35 metre eco-sensitive zone around the protected urban forest until further orders. The court also issued notices on a petition challenging the reduction of the buffer area around the park.
The interim relief came while hearing a special leave petition filed by environmental activist Kaajal Maheshwari, who challenged a Telangana High Court order that declined to grant interim protection to the area. The petition contests the reduction of the eco-sensitive zone around KBR Park to a width ranging from 3 metres to 29.8 metres, arguing that such a narrow buffer fails to serve the intended purpose of an eco-sensitive zone, which should act as an ecological shock absorber for protected areas.
KBR National Park, notified under Section 35 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, is considered one of Hyderabad’s primary green lungs and a critically important urban forest. According to the petition, the original proposal between 2012 and 2015 envisaged a 25-35-metre eco-sensitive buffer around the park, including the green belt developed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). However, the proposal was allegedly diluted over time to accommodate infrastructure projects under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP).
The final notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on October 27, 2020, fixed the eco-sensitive zone at varying widths ranging from 3 metres to 29.8 metres along the park boundary. The petitioner contended that this reduction was arbitrary and irrational, lacking scientific ecological assessment and instead being guided by infrastructure considerations, including the avoidance of land acquisition costs. The plea further alleged that the reduction was made at the instance of the state government to facilitate construction projects.
The special leave petition also challenged an interim order passed by the Telangana High Court on March 31, 2026, in a pending public interest litigation. The plea stated that the high court was informed about unregulated construction activity continuing in and around KBR National Park, requiring urgent intervention to prevent irreversible ecological damage. However, instead of granting interim protection, the high court adjourned the matter until May 5 and directed the petitioners to conduct research on permissible activities within the eco-sensitive zone.
The petition alleged procedural lapses in the process leading to the final eco-sensitive zone notification. It claimed that despite public objections and a petition signed by more than 19,000 people opposing the dilution of safeguards, concerns raised by citizens were not meaningfully considered. The petitioner also alleged that the state falsely represented that a public hearing had been conducted before the notification was finalised.
Environmentalist and activist Donthi Narasimha Reddy, who has been actively fighting the case, welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order. He stated that the order reaffirmed the legal necessity of maintaining eco-sensitive zones around national parks, particularly those within cities. He told media that civic authorities had allegedly proceeded with tree removal without adequately considering the legal status of the eco-sensitive zone. He expressed hope that the apex court would restore the sanctity of the eco-sensitive zone and prevent infrastructure activity that could adversely affect the park.
Narasimha Reddy further emphasized that even the proposed 25-35-metre buffer around KBR National Park is inadequate, noting that earlier Supreme Court observations called for a standardised one-kilometre eco-sensitive zone around protected areas. He highlighted that the park’s role extends beyond carbon sequestration, helping maintain Hyderabad’s microclimate and supporting groundwater recharge in areas like Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. He suggested that the GHMC should undertake ecological studies and conduct public consultations before proceeding with any infrastructure works. The matter has been adjourned to July 27.
