At dawn, the Indian Grey Hornbill cruises over the Jubilee Hills police checkpost, five to 12 metres above the road, following a flight corridor that hornbills have used for longer than the city has existed. By 2028, if the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (HCITI) project proceeds as tendered, four flyovers between 10 and 14 metres high will cut through this same airspace.
However, the ecological concern extends beyond just those four structures. The HCITI is a large urban transport and road-infrastructure programme being executed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) with a budget of nearly Rs 1,100 crore. It includes seven flyovers and seven underpasses encircling the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park.
