Telangana govt faces public backlash over KBR flyover project reversal
The Telangana government has drawn severe criticism from citizens following a significant reversal of its road infrastructure project around Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park in Hyderabad. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) abandoned its original plan for seven flyovers and seven underpasses, instead approving one continuous unified elevated corridor from Jubilee Hills Checkpost to NFCL Junction. The construction has been divided into two packages, running from Jubilee Hills Check Post to Banjara Hills Road No.2, and from there to Muffakhkam Jah College with a dedicated connecting ramp to Banjara Hills Road No.1.
Citizens have raised concerns about the sudden policy shift, citing the destruction of greenery and the absence of adequate traffic impact assessments before implementation. Critics point to insufficient planning and a lack of public consultation in the project's execution. The GHMC stated that new tenders would not be called despite the design change, as the previous contractor had already completed 50% of work on the earlier design. While the sanctioned cost remains at ₹1,090 crore, officials claimed the design change resulted in savings of ₹1,200 crore—₹800 crore by reducing the need to acquire high-value private land and ₹400 crore in construction costs.
GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan attributed the project design change to observations of how one-way traffic flow reduced congestion on the stretch. Following the GHMC Standing Committee's approval of the design change, social media erupted with severe backlash against what users perceived as a casual government approach that had led to wastage of resources.
