In the Kancha Gachibowli area, a group of spotted deer grazing. |Photo source: Raghu Ghanapuram
Story so far: Students at the University of Hyderabad have been protesting since the news that it was called a 400-acre parcel on campus. The battle has now reached the Supreme Court, which acknowledged the destruction of green plants and the existence of wildlife in the area before taking it over to take Suo Motu. The Telangana High Court has filed three PILs against the auction.
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Why are there protests?
The students pointed out that the land is part of the university, a claim that has been strongly denied by the government.
The land was part of 2,324 acres awarded to the University of Hyderabad when it was founded in 1974, part of a six-point formula proposed by the Congressional government at the time, which was a regional sentiment proposed by the Telangana movement in 1969. However, the land allocation was not transferred through the title. Subsequently, the government occupied a large amount of land for various purposes, including the establishment of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, the Tata Tata Basic Research Institute and the Andhra Pradesh Sports Authority, to name only a few. By 2010, over 800 acres had been taken away under 22 such circumstances.
How to say the document?
The 400 acres of land that are now in conflict under the then-Telugu Party (TDP) government was part of this transfer. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the University of Hyderabad to transfer 534 acres in lieu of the 396 acres allocated at another location. The land forms part of 850 acres and is allocated to the IMG Academies Bharata development sports facilities. Subsequently, a sales deed was signed before the legislative assembly elections where Congress imposed TDP. After winning the election, the then-Chief Minister canceled the transfer of land, leading to a protracted legal struggle. The Supreme Court rejected a special false petition allowing the current government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to occupy the land.
What are environmentalists talking about?
The land has not been disturbed for more than 20 years and has become home to various local animals and plants. Several migratory birds also visited the area. A recent biodiversity compilation compiled from campus mentions 233 bird species, which is higher than the number of birds in KBR National Park and Mrugavani National Park. It also references the unique spider Murricia Hyderabadensis, which is unique to the Kancha Gachibowli forest and has nowhere else. The document also lists at least three reptiles and 27 bird species mentioned in Schedule I of the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972, indicating their vulnerability and need for the highest conservation, in addition to the diversity of 72 species.
Another debate among environmentalists is the lack of permissions required to cut down greening and the lack of necessary assessments for such projects.
Why the government. Decided to auction?
Under YS Rajashekhar Reddy, the Congressional Government was the first Congressional Government to start monetization of government land through public auctions, which was condemned and condemned by many concerned citizens and political parties. However, this auction has become an unspeakable national policy for all subsequent governments of Telangana and has nothing to do with those in power.
The Congress Party, which won the 2023 parliamentary election, inherited a state debt of nearly Rs 4 lakh, which will exceed Rs 5 lakh by the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year. Mr. Reddy recently admitted that he had no capital expenditures reflect the true state of the Treasury. The verdict on ownership Kancha Gachibowli happens to be temporary for the government’s respite, which decided to raise funds through auction of land for welfare measures.
publishing – April 7, 2025 at 08:30 am IST
