Hyderabad: Retired scientist Kalapala Babu Rao filed a PIL in the Telangana High Court on Tuesday against tree plundering on 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli’s No. 25 investigation.
Rao said the government’s actions were illegal and violated the Forest Protection Act of 1980. PIL said the government prepares for merger records of forest lands in the event of an expert committee that does not constitute forest conservation rules in 2023.
He asked the court to shelve MS No. 26-06-2024 54 to alienate the land to TGIIC and declare the land a national park under the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972.
The land is classified as Deccan Southern Thorny Scrub Forest Ecoregion, PIL said. These are prevalent in dry deciduous forests and frosted jungles that play a crucial role in climate regulation, maintaining groundwater tables and providing habitat for wildlife and vegetation, lakes and rock formations. These forests are characterized by low manifold scrubs, sparse, short, tricky, dense trees, scattered with tropical dry deciduous forests.
Because the canopy is not thick, the floor of this forest provides opportunities for various grass growth, which, unlike evergreen forests, creates grassland ecosystems. The canopies, flowers and fruits of these frosted trees and grass provide the perfect habitat for birds and wildlife species similar to KBR and Mrugavani National Park, PIL said.
This razing of forests will be an ecological disaster for the city, especially in financial capital, which is witnessing great developments in building corporate and residential complexes.
The court of Justice, led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, will hear the PIL on Wednesday and a petition filed by the Vata Foundation, in which the High Court seeks an explanation from the government on March 24.
