As Hyderabad university row spirals, scanner on Revanth Reddy government

The Telangana government headed by chief minister A Revanth Reddy has come under attacks from all sides – judiciary, central government, environmentalists, students, academics, opposition parties and even the film fraternity – for its decision to auction 400 acres of disputed land at Kancha Gachibowli in Rangareddy district adjoining the University of Hyderabad.

The Supreme Court on Thursday took up suo motu cognisance of the reports of the extensive deforestation in the disputed land affecting wildlife and water bodies by deploying heavy machinery. The apex court directed Telangana chief secretary Santhi Kumari to immediately stop all activity in the area, till proper environmental impact assessment is done and necessary approvals are obtained.

A bench comprising justices Bhushan R Gavai and AG Masih registered a suo motu case on the issue, warning that “in case any of the directions issued by us are not complied with in true letter and spirit, the chief secretary of the state shall be held personally liable.”

On the other hand, the Telangana high court heard the arguments for the second consecutive day on Thursday, on two separate public interest litigations (PILs) filed by non-governmental organisation Vata Foundation and University of Hyderabad students’ union. The HC also extended a stay on all kinds of activity in the disputed land and posted the case to April 7 for further hearing.

On Wednesday, assistant inspector general of forests in the Union ministry of environment and forests S Sundar wrote a letter to the additional secretary of forests of Telangana government asking to submit a factual report on the alleged illegal felling of trees in 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli village to the Union ministry.

In the letter, which was seen by HT, Sundar also directed that the government 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.

“Please ensure that there is no violation of any other acts or orders of various courts and tribunals,” Sunder said, adding that the factual report and action taken report be submitted to the Union ministry immediately.

In a letter to the Union ministry of human resources development on Wednesday, representatives of the University of Hyderabad students’ union for 2024-25, alleged that the state government has unleashed hundreds of earthmovers and excavators to level 400 acres of ecologically irreplaceable land within the university. “They are flattening ancient trees, crushing fragile ecosystems, and bulldozing the very soul of this academic sanctuary,” students’ union president Umesh Ambedkar said.

He pointed out that this part of land was once a thriving tapestry of 734 species of flowering plants, medicinal plants, 237 bird species, 15 varieties of reptiles, and rare creatures like the Indian Star Tortoise. “Peacocks and spotted deer are chased away from the forest. The Mushroom Rocks, ancient sentinels of time, stand on the brink of obliteration,” he said.

Ambedkar said there are wetland ecosystems that cradle the Peacock Lake and Buffalo Lake and they were now choking under the debris of reckless destruction. “The Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) plans to auction this bleeding wound of land to faceless profiteers, turning a university’s sacred promise into a graveyard of concrete,” he alleged.

In response to SC’s remarks on Thursday, he lauded the top court’s direction to the state government to stall the destruction of trees in the disputed land, saying it was a great relief to the agitating students.

“That the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the issue and gave directions to the government to stall the works is an honour for us. But it is only a temporary relief. We shall not give up our fight till the state government restores the land to the university and protects the environment,” Ambedkar added.

Environmentalists Arun Vasireddy and Sriram Reddy on Thursday came out with a 27-page report on the importance of Kancha Gachibowli forest area, its biological diversity and hydrological importance. “Kancha Gachibowli Forest (KGF) is a treasure trove of numerous species of trees and animals. Although the government departments have neglected it, students and faculty have nurtured this site into the pristine wilderness as it is today,” the report said.

It said in the last couple of decades, several high-rise buildings have come up in the Kancha Gachibowli area such as Indian School of Business (ISB), IIIT, Wipro, ISB, Accenture, Amazon and the Financial District. “Now, the existing forest is the last undisturbed wilderness in the area, remnant of a full scale rocky hill forest of the city,” the report pointed out.

Movie celebrities such as Rashmika Mandanna, Renu Desai, Raveena Tandon and Dia Mirza have also extended their support to the students and environmentalists, who are protesting against the destruction of forest area in 400 acres of land at University of Hyderabad.

“I just saw this..heartbroken. I am sorry but this is not right. It’s not ok!” Rashmika Mandanna of Pushpa fame, posted on Instagram on Wednesday.

“Students are raising their voices for a future where nature thrives. Forests, not IT parks, offer young people a chance at a sustainable tomorrow. ‘Development’ at the cost of biodiversity is DESTRUCTION. Save Kancha Forest in Gachibowli, Hyderabad,” actor Dia Mirza said in a post on X.

On the political front, the Revanth Reddy government has been under attack from the opposition parties – Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Left parties – the CPI and the CPI (M).

On Thursday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao warned the IT companies and other real estate firms against purchasing the land from the Telangana government at the disputed site.

“If they buy the land, they shall be doing so at their own risk, as once the BRS returns to power in 2028, the government will take back the land and transform it into the country’s largest eco-park,” KTR declared at a press conference.

“This is our promise to the people of Hyderabad and the students of the University of Hyderabad. You will hear only peacocks sing and see trees thrive,” he asserted.

For the last one week, the Telangana BJP leaders have been making representations to the Centre seeking its intervention in stopping the destruction of trees and preservation of flora and fauna in the disputed land.

Expressing concern over the sale of 400 acres belonging to University of Hyderabad through TGIIC, BJP national council member and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman requested that the Centre direct the state government to preserve the land. “We want the state government to demarcate the boundaries of the university land so as to avoid encroachments,” he said.

A delegation of Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), student wing of the BJP, met Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav on Thursday and submitted a memorandum regarding the University of Hyderabad lands. “The Revanth Reddy-led Telangana government, with vested interests, has decided to auction the varsity land to private entities in the garb of the IT hub development project,” ABVP national secretary Shravan B Raj said.

What the state government says

Amid the ongoing row, state finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told reporters on Tuesday that the entire land belonged to the state government and it did not encroach upon even a single inch of land belonging to the University of Hyderabad.

“The Telangana government proved in the court that it is the legal owner of the land, after a prolonged legal battle. The development works being undertaken in the land and auction will not affect the ecosystem at all,” he said, adding that some political leaders and realty groups opposing the project are misleading the students for their vested interests.

The TGIIC released a detailed note on the disputed land, saying that as per the revenue records, it was classified as “poramboke land” (waste land) and not a forest land belonging to the state government.

“In February 2004, the 400 acres of land located in survey no. 25 at Kancha Gachibowli village was taken from the University of Hyderabad. In lieu of this land, the state government allotted 397 acres of land to the university at the adjacent Gopanpally village,” the state government said.

On Thursday, the government announced its decision to constitute a committee with group of ministers to resolve the Kanche Gachibowli land issue. The ministers have been asked to consult with the university executive committee, JAC and civil society groups, students delegation and other stakeholders.

On January 13, 2004, the then combined Andhra Pradesh government led by N Chandrababu Naidu allotted this 400-acre land to IMG Academies Bharat Private Limited for the development of sports facilities.

The project, however, did not take off and on November 21, 2006, the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy government cancelled the allotment of land to IMG Academies Bharat Private Limited for not commencing the project. The same land was allotted to the AP Youth Advancement, Tourism and Cultural Department, the corporation said.

The IMG group moved the high court in the same year claiming right over the land. This legal battle continued for a long time. On March 7, 2024, the high court gave orders stating that the land belongs to the Telangana government. The IMG group moved the Supreme Court immediately and on May 3, 2024, the apex court, too, dismissed its petition. “Complying with the court orders, the government took possession of 400 acres of land,” the TGIIC said.

On June 19, 2024, the state government proposed transfer of the land to the TGIIC for setting up Information Technology and other related projects and the land was transferred to the corporation on July 1.

The TGIIC claimed that on July 4, it wrote a letter to the registrar of University of Hyderabad, requesting cooperation in identifying the common boundaries of the 400 acres of land allotted to the Corporation. “On July 19, 2024, with the consent of the University of Hyderabad Registrar, the survey was conducted in the presence of the University officials and the boundaries were finalised on the same day,” it said.

The TGIIC clarified that the Buffalo Lake and Peacock Lake are not in the limits of 400 acres which are being developed. It also claimed to have prepared a plan to preserve the famous Mushroom rock and other rock formations as green spaces in its layout.

University of Hyderabad registrar Devesh Nigam, however, refuted the TGIIC claim, saying that no survey was conducted in July 2024 by the revenue authorities in the University campus to demarcate the 400 acres of land. “In fact, the university has been requesting the state government for alienation of its land,” he said.