The Telangana government has faced sharp criticism from citizens after abruptly altering a major road‑infrastructure project near Hyderabad’s Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had originally planned to build seven flyovers and seven underpasses around the park, but has now approved a single continuous elevated corridor from the Jubilee Hills Checkpost to the NFCL Junction.
The new plan divides the construction into two packages: from Jubilee Hills Checkpost to Banjara Hills Road No.2, and from there to Muffakhkam Jah College, with a dedicated ramp to Banjara Hills Road No.1. GHMC officials said new tenders would not be called because the previous contractor had already completed 50% of the work under the earlier design. The project’s sanctioned cost remains ₹1,090 crore, but officials claim the design change saves ₹1,200 crore, citing reduced need for high‑value private land acquisition and lower construction costs.
The design shift came after a one‑way traffic experiment demonstrated reduced congestion, according to GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan. However, the change has sparked backlash on social media, with architects, sustainability advocates, and local groups questioning whether traffic studies were conducted, how the new design was justified, and why details on prior expenditures and environmental impacts are lacking.
Citizens’ groups that opposed the original flyover plan noted the absence of a Detailed Project Report for the new corridor and raised concerns about the loss of mature trees and damaged rock formations. GHMC officials blamed traffic police for delays that prompted the redesign, but acknowledged that scrapping the contract could lead to legal complications. The controversy highlights tensions between rapid infrastructure development and public scrutiny over planning, environmental stewardship, and fiscal accountability.
