Centre Seeks Report After HC Halts Work On Disputed Land Near Hyderabad University Till Tomorrow

Last Updated:April 02, 2025, 22:03 IST

The Telangana government has plans to auction 400 acres of ecologically sensitive land near University of Hyderabad in Kancha Gachibowli for the construction of urban infrastructure and an IT park

Police arrive at the University of Hyderabad, where students are staging a protest demanding removal of earth-moving machinery from the campus. (Image: PTI)

The Union environment ministry on Wednesday wrote to the Telangana government, seeking a factual report on the disputed land near the University of Hyderabad soon after the high court halted work in the area for the next 24 hours.

The Centre referred to the state’s “illegal clearing of vegetation on 400 acres of forest land" near the University of Hyderabad in the biodiversity-rich Kancha Gachibowli area. The ministry also directed the additional chief secretary (forests), Telangana, to take legal action under forest and wildlife laws as applicable.

The Telangana government has plans to auction 400 acres of ecologically sensitive land in Kancha Gachibowli for the construction of urban infrastructure and an IT (information technology) park.

“The ministry has come to know about the illegal felling and removal of vegetation in Kancha Gachibowli village, Ranga Reddy district of Telangana by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). There have also been various news reports in the print and social media in this regard alleging damage to the wildlife found in the said land, its lakes and the unique rock formations in the area," the ministry said in a letter.

It said Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav had also received representations from MPs and other public representatives on the matter. “In view of the above, the state government is requested to provide a factual report on the issue immediately. Take legal action under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act (or local Forest Act), Wildlife Protection Act and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, as applicable, and ensure that there is no violation of any other laws or court and tribunal orders," the letter said.

WHAT DID THE TELANGANA HC SAY?

The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to suspend all work on the land parcel for until April 3. A bench comprising acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing a batch of PILs seeking a directive from the court to stop the uprooting of trees and land clearing at the Kancha Gachibowli site.

The petitioners also challenged the state government’s decision to allot the land to the TGIIC, claiming it violated the Forest Conservation Act. On March 30, the TGIIC initiated development work at the Kancha Gachibowli site as per a government order.

While posting the matter for further hearing on April 3, the court directed that all work at the site should be stopped. This decision followed a plea from S Niranjan Reddy, counsel for one of the petitioners, who requested the court to intervene stating that tree-cutting was continuing unabated.

Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy argued that the petitions were based on Google images, which, as per Supreme Court rulings, are not admissible as evidence. He further contended that the land in question lies outside the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and has always been earmarked for industrial purposes.

Niranjan Reddy informed the court that no tree above one metre in height should be cut without prior permission from authorised agencies under the Water, Land, and Trees Act (WALTA). He also stated that rampant deforestation was taking place across the 400-acre site.

Calling the situation an “ecological disaster", the petitioner’s counsel urged the court to direct the government to produce NRSA images from the past month to demonstrate the “indiscriminate" destruction of the area.

Counsel for another petitioner argued that the flora and fauna within the 400-acre site – whether it belongs to HCU or the state government – would be lost due to the “narrow economic interests" of the authorities.

WHAT IS THE LAND DISPUTE?

The state government’s plan to auction the 400 acres has sparked protests by university students. The proposed auction is expected to generate up to Rs 15,000 crore for the state government.

A statement from the Telangana chief minister’s office on Tuesday (April 1) said as per revenue records, “the land is not forest land as reported in a section of the media but rather owned by the government".

The TGIIC has said it has proved its ownership of the land in court and that the university does not own any land in the land parcel in question. Disputes, if any, created on the ownership of land, will be a contempt of the court, it said.

It said the state government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is giving top priority to the sustainable development of any local area and conservation of the environment in every plan. The revenue records clearly state that the land is not forest land, it added.

With the consent of the university registrar, a survey of the land was conducted in July 2024 in the presence of the university officials for identification of boundaries. “The officials finalised the boundaries on the same day," it said.

However, the university has said no survey was conducted in July 2024 by the revenue authorities in the campus to demarcate the 400 acres of land resumed by the state government in 2006. The only action taken thus far has been a preliminary inspection of the land’s topography, registrar Devesh Nigam said in a statement.

The university also denied the government statement that it has agreed for such demarcation of the land. Countering the university’s claims, official sources pointed out that there are documents which show that the land in question in Kancha Gachibowli has been handed over to the state government in 2004.

WHY ARE STUDENTS PROTESTING?

The University of Hyderabad Students’ Union (UoHSU) announced an indefinite protest and boycott of classes from Tuesday, demanding the removal of police personnel and earth-moving machinery from the campus. Vice president Akash said students and teachers were urged to join the protest on campus and boycott classes.

In a joint statement, the UoHSU and other student associations accused the university administration of “betraying" students by facilitating land clearing activities for the state government. They also condemned the “brutal police crackdown" on peaceful demonstrators.

According to the police, when the TGIIC initiated development work at the site on March 30, as per a government order, a group of people from the university and also others gathered at the site and tried to stop the work “forcibly". They “attacked" the officials and workers with sticks and stones and two persons were arrested in this connection.

(With PTI inputs)

News politics Centre Seeks Report After HC Halts Work On Disputed Land Near Hyderabad University Till Tomorrow