HC halts work on 400-acre land in Hyderabad till Apr 3, Centre seeks report from state govt

Students of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Wednesday continued protests against the state government's plans to develop the 400-acre land parcel bordering the varsity land, even as the Telangana High Court directed the Congress dispensation to halt all the works in this regard until April 3.

Meanwhile, the Union Environment Ministry wrote to the Telangana government, seeking a factual report on 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 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 on Wedneday.

A protest rally by students and University of Hyderabad Teachers Association (UHTA) was stopped by the police earlier in the day.

The UHTA led a rally from Ambedkar auditorium to East Campus (the site of 400 acres of the disputed land) in solidarity with the agitating students.

The procession was stopped by the police and some of the protesting students were "lathi-charged" by the police, UHTA said in a statement. However, a police official denied the claims and said, "They were prevented from taking out the rally." The procession then moved towards the University main gate of the campus.

The University of Hyderabad Students’ Union (UoHSU) and other unions and parties aligned with it have launched an indefinite protest and announced a boycott of classes from April 1, demanding withdrawal of police personnel from the campus and removal of earth-moving machinery from the land.

The student groups and environmental activists have voiced opposition to the proposal to undertake development work at the site, citing ecological conservation concerns. The student groups protests intensified on March 31 with the government maintaining that the land parcel belonged to it and not the varsity.

However, the UoH Registrar contradicted the government's claim that the boundary of the land in question was finalised.

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to suspend all work on the 400-acre land parcel adjacent to the UoH, for a day.

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.

Reacting to the HC’s direction, UoHSU in a social media post described it as one step towards victory of the students to claim this land as theirs.

The petitioners also challenged the state government's decision to allot the land to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), claiming it violated the Forest Conservation Act.

On March 30, TGIIC initiated development work at the Kancha Gachibowli site as per a government order.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on April 3.

The court’s 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, according to 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.

UoH is popularly known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU).

Niranjan Reddy informed the court that no tree above one meter 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.

On March 31, the TGIIC stated that it had established its ownership of the land in court and that UoH, a central university, does not own any portion of the land.

Responding to the Environmental Ministry's letter, Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, in a post on 'X' said he extends his sincere gratitude to Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, for his expeditious and decisive action in response to the representation submitted by him and his party regarding "illegal deforestation" at Hyderabad Central University.

"Hon’ble Minister’s directive to the state government to submit a Fact-Finding Report and take necessary legal action against TGIIC for violating the Forest Act and court orders is a significant step towards ensuring accountability, preventing further environmental hazards and protecting the green cover," Reddy said in the post.