HYDERABAD: Is the only urban forestry zone on the Deccan Plateau located in the midst of the city under threat now that another mega commercial project is coming up in the buffer zone of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park?

While the Government may have earned a whopping Rs. 335 crores from auction of about five acres of land abutting the Park near Jubilee Hills Check Post area, environmentalists and wild life activists are concerned over the development.

Initially, the Government proposed to leave a part of the five-acre land for the buffer zone and walkway putting the rest for auction. However, the entire land was allowed for auction where a major hotel project sans height restriction is expected to come up.

Reserve forest area

KBR Park was originally a reserve forest area protected by a huge wall. It got shrunk after it was de-notified to pave way for road widening and laying of walkers' path in violation of norms for conservation of National parks.

Environmentalists had a long drawn battle with the Government for tampering with the reserve forest, which was subsequently declared a National park. However, there was further violation when people were allowed inside the park. And hundreds of walkers have been permitted inside since then.

"Now an even more sacrilegious act is being committed by doing away with the buffer zone in Monday's auction allowing a commercial property right on the fringe of a National park," bemoan the environmentalists.

But officials insist that the required walkway and buffer zone would be provided within the park -- in other words, further trespassing into the National park, which is bound to raise environmentalists' ire.

A strip of 350 metres with a width of 8 metres is needed near Jubilee Hills checkpost to connect with the 5.5 km walkway developed by HUDA at a cost of Rs.3.5 crores. Beyond the walkway is the buffer zone meant for protecting wildlife.

Tourist zones

Peacocks, said to be in thousands, are often sighted in the buffer zone. Without the zone, they would be endangered, many argue. National parks have conservation and tourist zones with walkways allowed only in the latter.

But now, strangely walkway strip, if provided, may encroach into the conservation zone as the entire five-acre land has been sold.

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