Hyderabad walkers flag severe parking crunch at KBR Park
HYDERABAD: Traffic congestion around the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park in Banjara Hills continues to trouble walkers and visitors, who say parking shortages have become acute.
Walkers say parking issues worsening every month
The stretch around the park remains packed with vehicles from morning till late evening. More than 1,000 walkers enter the park every morning and over 500 in the evening. The footfall doubles on Saturdays and Sundays.
Despite this surge, parking capacity has not increased. Walkers said they are forced to leave their vehicles on the roadside, only to receive challans from traffic police for stopping in ‘no-parking’ zones.
Multi-level facility built but inadequate
To partly ease the load, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation set up a multi-level car park next to the park. The six-storey structure can hold 72 cars and opened a few months ago.
Walkers said the facility is far too small for current volumes. They suggested that similar structures could be built at six other locations identified around the park near Chichas Restaurant at Jubilee Hills Checkpost, opposite CVR News in Filmnagar, opposite Taj Mahal Hotel on Road No. 92, opposite Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital, and at the park’s last parking zone. They added that some available government plots around the park could also be used.
Poor coordination between GHMC and forest department
The forest department oversees park operations and manages entry tickets and annual passes. Walkers alleged that officials are not addressing parking concerns and that coordination with GHMC is lacking.
They said the two departments have not held a joint review to resolve the issue. Walkers added that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy frequently travels past the park, and hundreds of well-known personalities walk here every day, yet the location continues to lack adequate parking.
Walkers demanded that GHMC and the forest department take up the matter urgently and evolve a coordinated plan to expand parking around the park.
