No KBR Park land for flyover: Officials

Hyderabad: GHMC officials said no land of KBR Park is being acquired for building flyovers, except for a portion of the outer walkway.

GHMC commissioner and special officer Somesh Kumar said, “No land of the KBR Park is being acquired, except for a portion on the outer walkway. The government land will be acquired first to construct multigrade separators and flyovers to ease traffic congestion at busy junctions. The issue was carefully studied and steps taken to ensure minimum land acquisition. GHMC will also build a separate cycling zone along the park, to replace the loss, based on land availability.”

Interestingly, the organisation is still clueless on how much of the track land, they would have to do away with.

HMDA urban forestry assistant director M. Raja Ramana Reddy said, “The peripheral track of KBR is six km, however, five  km of the walkway is used currently. Over 15 years since the track has been constructed, HMDA spent Rs 3 lakh per month on the maintenance which include security, lighting, water and more. Till date, HMDA has not received any proposal on handing over the outer track.”

Divisional forest officer Kondal Mohan confirmed that no property of the inner ring of the National Park will be disturbed.

“There is a green wall all along the KBR Park, which is considered as a forest line. The space out of this green wall does not fall under forest control but the HMDA. At present, no property of the park’s inner ring will be disturbed.”

The first flyover of a total length of 941.10 metres — less than one kilometre and of width 11.50 metres will start from L.V. Prasad Eye Hospital to pass over the signal and then take a steep right turn near the KBR Park entrance gate, heading towards Jubliee Hills.

The second flyover (length 324.25 metres and width 8.50 metres) will begin a few metres away from the KBR Park gate on the Cancer Hospital road.

A major portion of the outer track will be eaten up by the first grade separator.