400-acre Gachibowli plot not a forest land, T’gana govt tells SC

Hyderabad The Telangana government has told the Supreme Court that the 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli near the University of Hyderabad has never been classified as forest land and that its status in revenue records is state government land, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday.

On behalf of the state government, chief secretary Shanti Kumari submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday, answering all the queries raised by the bench comprising Justice B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih on April 3, which took up suo motu cognizance of deforestation in the Kancha Gachibowli land. The land has been at the centre of a controversy after the state government decided to auction it for development, triggering protests spearheaded by the students union of the neighbouring University of Hyderabad.

The Supreme Court bench on April 3 , while posting the matter to this Wednesday, had directed that the state government should not take up any activity in the disputed land, except for the protection of existing trees, until further orders.

A state government official privy to the matter said on condition of anonymity that the chief secretary submitted all the relevant documents to prove that the land at Kancha Gachibowli does not come under the forest department, but under the revenue department.

This land has never been classified as forest land. It is completely government-owned land. For the past two decades, it remained unused due to legal disputes for over two decades, which led to the natural growth of trees and shrubs, the affidavit said.

The affidavit also pointed out that the 400 acres of land was never a designated wildlife habitat. “Since the land has remained open, animals from nearby areas, including the adjacent Hyderabad Central University campus are occasionally seen here. It is not a permanent home for them,” the affidavit said.

Since the Telangana government had won the legal battle over the land in May last year, it had taken possession of the land. “The location is optimal for expanding government activities. There is no dispute over the ownership of the land. Developing this area will attract investments and accelerate job creation,” the government said in the affidavit.

The state government assured to the apex court that it would ensure that the development activities do not disturb the wildlife. “The trees felled here do not fall under the category of protected species. If necessary, the government will allocate alternate land for replanting and nurturing new saplings,” it said.

The submission of affidavit by the Telangana government in the Supreme Court comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi indirectly took a dig at the Congress government in Telangana for allegedly destroying forests and not keeping election promises.

Addressing a gathering in Haryana on Monday, Modi said: “The government is busy destroying jungles through bulldozers, causing damage to nature, endangering animals. This is the working style of the Congress.”

During the hearing on April 3, the Supreme Court bench obtained an interim report from the Registrar (judicial) of the Telangana high court, which indicated that a significant number of small and medium-sized trees, as well as some larger ones, were being destroyed in about 100 acres of land.

The report also further pointed out the presence of peacocks, deer, and various birds in the area, suggesting that a forest habitat existed for these wildlife species.

University of Hyderabad Students Union said it had not got a copy of the state government’s affidavit in the Supreme Court till now. “We are discussing with our lawyers on how to counter the state government’s arguments. Accordingly, we shall present the factual position in the Supreme Court,” union president Umesh Ambedkar said.