Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders on Wednesday, April 2 filed a complaint with the Telangana forest department against the deforestation on the Kancha Gachibowli land.
In their complaint, they accused the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) of violating environmental laws to facilitate real estate enterprise, leading to massive deforestation, displacement of wildlife, and ecological degradation. They cited violations of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
Telangana HC halts tree felling at 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land
The BRS led by RS Praveen Kumar further raised concerns over the impact on endangered species, soil erosion, water pollution, and biodiversity loss. They stated that the State government was attempting to convert a pristine natural habitat into commercial real estate venture, ignoring the critical environmental role of the land.
Following the complaint, Kumar told the media that decisive action was crucial to uphold environmental laws and protect Telangana’s rapidly vanishing green spaces. He demanded an immediate cessation of all encroachment and destruction in the affected 400 acres, as well as a thorough investigation into those responsible for the illegal encroachment.
The BRS demanded strict enforcement of environmental laws, including criminal action against violators and seizure of vehicles and equipment used in the destruction. The party called for the restoration of the damaged ecosystem and strengthening of protection measures to prevent future encroachments, besides public disclosure of actions taken by the Forest department
Telangana HC halts tree felling at Kancha Gachibowli
The Telangana High Court on Wednesday ordered a temporary halt to tree felling at Survey No 25, Kancha Gachibowli land. This comes in response to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Vata Foundation and students of Hyderabad Central University (HCU). The court directed authorities to cease work on the land until tomorrow, April 3, when the next hearing is scheduled.
The petitioners have urged the court to declare the Kancha Gachibowli lands as a national park, citing ecological and environmental concerns.
Advocate L Ravishankar, representing HCU, argued that the Telangana government had issued GO 54 in June last year, under which 400 acres of government land were allocated to the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). He emphasized that even though it is government land, the authorities must comply with Supreme Court rulings that mandate environmental assessments before clearing such areas.
The court was told that the University of Hyderabad land has many species of animals, plants, mushroom rocks and buffalo and peacock lakes. The division bench had adjourned the hearing to April 7 and had issued notices to the respondents of the state government and TGIIC to file the counter in 10 days.
On behalf of the state government, Advocate General (AG) Sudarshan Reddy defended the allocation of land, arguing that it was not a forest area. He explained that in 2004, the land was handed over to IMG Academy, which failed to utilize it as per the agreement, leading to the government’s cancellation of the allocation.
He further argued that accepting the petitioners’ demand would mean halting all development projects across Hyderabad, as many urban areas have wildlife presence. “If we follow the petitioners’ logic, no construction should happen anywhere in Hyderabad,” he stated.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court directed the authorities to halt all work on the land until tomorrow, April 3.
