KBR National Park, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

Background of KBR Park

                                                       

Before 1990, the place was well known as "Chiraan Palace" gardens owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Because of its wilderness and being left unused, except in one corner, it acted as the catchment for Banjara Lake & Hussainsagar, apart from helping recharge of the ground water regime of Banjara & Jubilee Hills & adjacent colonies.

 

The total vegetative cover of the area helped percolation of storm water & recharge of ground water and graduating the flows into the water bodies down stream, apart from harboring biodiversity of both flora and fauna. This prompted the State Govt to take over the area and notify it as Reserve Forest and subsequently as "National Park" under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act and named it after a well known former Chief Minister, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy.(KBR).

 

Walkers Association - High Court Orders

 

While all the statuary requirements are completed for notifying the "National Park" and the final notification was awaited, a group of influential citizens of the neighboring areas, banding themselves as "Walkers Association" got AP High Court Orders permitting them to use the area for recreational walking, pending final notification.

                                           

After the final notification was issued notifying the place as National Park, it was closed for recreational walking .But the Walkers Association approached AP High Court again and got orders to permit recreational walking in the National Park. Against these orders, the Division Bench of AP High Court was moved by Nallamalla Foundation, in which the AP Forest Department filed an affidavit clearly stating the Recreational Walking was not a permitted usage, in terms of Section 28 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

 

The Division Bench of AP High Court set aside the orders of the single judge allowing recreational walking in KBR National Park. The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) developed very good walking path all around KBR National Park for the use of recreational walkers and, to conserve the National Park, with all the disciplines that go with it, like closed seasons, limited entry etc.

 

Inaction & U-turn of Forest Department

 

But the recreational walking continued unabated with paved pathways though not black topped, treating National Park like a Municipal Park, even having a Laughing Club, Yoga Classes etc inside the park, As the Forest Department did not stop the walking, the earlier petitioner moved the High Court for implementation of the Division Bench Orders. Based on the changed stand of the Forest Department, putting forward the concept of a "Visitor's Zone"(i.e. walkers as visitors) to allow the walking to continue, and not bringing forth before the court the adverse impacts on the water regime and biodiversity over the years, the second Division Bench of AP High Court permitted recreational walking in KBR National Park,.

 

Walkers Paradise

 

Once the court permitted recreational walking, the KBR National Park is thronged and crowded  by the residents of Banjar & Jubilee Hills and the near by areas in their cars, in the mornings and evenings through out the year, making it look like a Mela. Because of cluttering of a large number of vehicles, the chaotic traffic  is a regular feature  at the entrance of the Park on Road No. 2 of Banjara Hills and the nearby areas, in addition to heavy Air Pollution due to vehicular toxic emissions..

 

The irony is that even when there is an alternative of a very good walking path all-round KBR National Park, the Walkers choose to walk inside the National Park only, violating the provisions the Wildlife Protection Act, and oblivious of their Fundamental Duty- vide Article 51-A (g) and the long term consequences of their actions.  .

                                            

Conclusion

 

If recreational walking is allowed to continue inside the KBR National Park unchecked, the last wilderness in congested Hyderabad City will slowly disappear and become yet another ordinary park, suffering the same fate as once famous Hyderabad Public Gardens, having serious adverse impact on quality of life of large mass of citizens. 

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