Meenakshi Natarajan from AICC will visit Hyderabad to address a dispute over 400 acres in Kancha Gachibowli

HYDERABAD: All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Telangana affairs, Meenakshi Natarajan, is scheduled to visit Hyderabad to hold discussions with a ministerial panel headed by deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka. The meeting will focus on the ongoing dispute surrounding 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli.
Posters and banners have appeared in the national capital, put up by BJP leaders and environmentalists, urging senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to intervene and save the forest area. Students from the University of Hyderabad and environmental activists have strongly opposed the Telangana Congress government’s announcement that the land does not belong to the university and will be used for setting up industries to attract investment and create jobs for local youth.
Social media has also seen a flood of appeals from students, environmentalists, and celebrities tagging Rahul Gandhi and urging him to protect the forest. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Telangana government to stop “alarming deforestation activities” in the Kancha Gachibowli area near the university.
Following the apex court’s directive, the state government on Thursday constituted a ministerial committee to resolve the issue. Congress leadership in New Delhi has asked Meenakshi Natarajan to review the reasons behind the controversy, examine land ownership claims, and report on measures being taken to resolve the matter.
Meenakshi is expected to meet the ministerial committee at the state secretariat in the evening. The committee comprises Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. It has been tasked with holding consultations with the University of Hyderabad executive council, Joint Action Committee (JAC), civil society groups, student organisations, and other stakeholders.
The controversy began after the Telangana government’s decision to auction 400 acres of ecologically sensitive land in Kancha Gachibowli for IT and industrial development triggered outrage among environmentalists, students, and residents. They claimed the land housed rich biodiversity and launched the ‘Save City Forest’ campaign.
In the latest development, the Telangana government has reportedly decided to scrap the auction plan. Instead, it now aims to convert the entire 2,000-acre stretch including land occupied by the University of Hyderabad into what it claims will be one of the world’s largest eco parks.