Centre Seeks Report After HC Halts Work On Disputed Land Near Hyderabad University Till Tomorrow

Last Updated:April 02, 2025, 22:21 IST

The Telangana government’s plan to auction 400 acres of ecologically sensitive land in Kancha Gachibowli for the construction of urban infrastructure and an IT park has sparked protests by the students and faculty members of University of Hyderabad

Police arrive at the University of Hyderabad, where students are staging a protest demanding removal of earth-moving machinery from the campus. (Image: PTI)

The Union environment ministry on Wednesday wrote to the Telangana government, seeking a factual report on the disputed land near the University of Hyderabad soon after the high court halted work in the area for the next 24 hours.

The Telangana government’s plan to auction 400 acres of ecologically sensitive land in Kancha Gachibowli for the construction of urban infrastructure and an IT park has sparked protests by the students and faculty members of University of Hyderabad (UoH). They also held a rally earlier in the day, where the police allegedly lathicharged them.

The proposed auction of the land is expected to generate up to Rs 15,000 crore for the state government. A statement from the Telangana chief minister’s office on Tuesday (April 1) said as per revenue records, “the land is not forest land as reported in a section of the media but rather owned by the government”.

Here is all you need to know about the ongoing dispute:

WHAT DID THE CENTRE SAY?

In its letter to the Telangana government, the Centre referred to its “illegal clearing of vegetation on 400 acres of forest land” near the UoH 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,” it said in the letter.

It said Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav had also received representations from MPs and other public representatives on the matter. “In view of the above, the state government is requested to provide a factual report on the issue immediately. 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, and ensure that there is no violation of any other laws or court and tribunal orders,” the letter stated.

WHAT DID THE TELANGANA HC SAY?

The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to suspend all work on the land parcel until April 3. 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.

The petitioners also challenged the state government’s decision to allot the land to the TGIIC, claiming it violated the Forest Conservation Act. On March 30, the TGIIC initiated development work at the Kancha Gachibowli site as per a government order.

While posting the matter for further hearing on April 3, the court directed that all work at the site should be stopped. This 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, as per 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.

WHY ARE STUDENTS PROTESTING?

Students of the UoH have continued to protest against the Telangana government’s plans to develop the 400-acre land parcel bordering the varsity. They gathered at the main gate of the institution and raised slogans against the Congress government.

The University of Hyderabad Students’ Union (UoHSU) and other unions and parties aligned with it and also the ABVP held separate protests at the university. UoHSU vice president Akash demanded that the police and more than 50 earthmoving machines “razing down the forests” in the land should be taken away from the university immediately.

The UoHSU has announced an indefinite protest and boycott of classes from Tuesday, demanding the removal of police personnel and earth-moving machinery from the campus. Akash said students and teachers were urged to join the protest on campus and boycott classes.

In a joint statement, the UoHSU and other students’ associations associated with it accused the university administration of “betraying” students by facilitating land clearing activities for the state government on 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli. They also condemned the “brutal police crackdown” on peaceful demonstrators.

The protesting students demanded a written assurance that the land would be formally registered under the university. Additionally, they called for the public release of minutes of the executive committee meeting held on the issue by the university and greater transparency in land-related documents.

WHAT IS THE LAND DISPUTE?

The TGIIC has said it has proved its ownership of the land in court and that the university does not own any land in the land parcel in question. Disputes, if any, created on the ownership of land, will be a contempt of the court, it said.

It said the state government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is giving top priority to the sustainable development of any local area and conservation of the environment in every plan. The revenue records clearly state that the land is not forest land, it added.

With the consent of the university registrar, a survey of the land was conducted in July 2024 in the presence of the university officials for identification of boundaries. “The officials finalised the boundaries on the same day,” it said.

However, the university has said no survey was conducted in July 2024 by the revenue authorities in the campus to demarcate the 400 acres of land resumed by the state government in 2006. The only action taken thus far has been a preliminary inspection of the land’s topography, registrar Devesh Nigam said in a statement.

The university also denied the government statement that it has agreed for such demarcation of the land. Countering the university’s claims, official sources pointed out that there are documents which show that the land in question in Kancha Gachibowli has been handed over to the state government in 2004.

(With PTI inputs)