KBR National Park ESZ Petitioners Clarify Scope of CEC Visit in Hyderabad

Petitioners in the Supreme Court case concerning the Eco Sensitive Zone of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park in Hyderabad issued a statement clarifying that they did not lodge a complaint about tree felling, following a recent visit by members of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee on July 26, 2026.

The petitioners clarified that the visit by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) was not triggered by a formal complaint about widespread tree cutting. Instead, it was prompted by an email communication sent on June 15, 2026, addressed to city and forest officials. The email had been directed to the Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), the District Collector of Hyderabad, and the District Forest Officer of the Hyderabad Division.

In that communication, petitioners requested specific details regarding the felling of one tree in the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) surrounding KBR National Park. The information sought included the reasons for the tree being felled, the official permissions obtained, the agency held responsible, and whether an inspection had been conducted prior to the cutting. The CEC was simply copied on the email sent to the local authorities.

According to the petitioners' statement, CEC member Anjan Mohanty acknowledged these circumstances during an interaction with the petitioners on Sunday, July 26, 2026. The statement highlighted that while the CEC’s official schedule was circulated to key government officials—including the Chief Secretary, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, the District Magistrate, the Divisional Forest Officer, and the Field Director of KBR National Park—the petitioners were excluded from the distribution list and served no prior notice.

The petitioners received an overnight invitation for the meeting held on Sunday, July 26, 2026, without being provided a formal or informal agenda at any point. They also clarified that news reports claiming a meeting took place on Monday, July 27, 2026, were incorrect, as no meeting was fixed for that date.

Because of the suddenness of the invitation and the lack of formal notice, only one of the three petitioners was able to attend the Sunday meeting in person with officials from the GHMC and the Forest Department. During the session, the petitioner was expressly informed that all issues originating from the broader special leave petition were excluded from the scope of the meeting. The discussions were strictly confined to the single tree felled within the Eco Sensitive Zone of KBR National Park.