SC panel visits Kancha land, to submit report to SC on April 15
Hyderabad: Amid a row over land adjacent to the University of Hyderabad, a Supreme Court-appointed three-member central empowered committee (CEC) Thursday visited Kancha Gachibowli and took the views and representations from various stakeholders, including govt officials.
The Supreme Court on April 3 asked the Telangana govt to explain the “compelling urgency” for clearing a large tree cover at Kancha Gachibowli and stayed any deforestation activity till further orders.
Through the day, the CEC team met Telangana govt officials, Vata Foundation members — it moved the first PIL in Telangana high court against the state’s decision to auction 400 acres of the land — faculty members from University of Hyderabad (UoH), and student union representatives among others.
“We have heard from all stakeholders and visited the site on UoH campus as well. Based on our findings we will submit a detailed report to the Supreme Court on April 15,” Sunil Limaye, a CEC member, told TOI.
Controversy around Kancha Gachibowli land started in Feb after the state govt announced its plans to clear the land for development projects. The move met with stiff opposition from environmentalists and UoH student groups who alleged that damaging the forest with 455 species of flora and fauna, two water bodies and 2.5 billion year-old-rocks would fuel the climate crisis.
On Thursday, the state govt submitted a report to the CEC reiterating that the land belongs to the govt and is not forest land. “The land is classified as ‘Kancha Poramboke’. Kancha means grazing/waste land. This land has never been notified as forest land under relevant enactments. It is not shown as forest land either in revenue records or in forest records. Forest dept is filing a counter in the present PIL before HC stating that it is not a forest land,” the report said.
The UoH faculty members appealed to the CEC to declare the area as a ‘deemed forest’ and turn it into a conserved zone. “To support our plea,we submitted evidence about the presence of diverse flora and fauna, including vulnerable and endangered species at the site,” said professor Joby Joseph, who submitted the representation along with student union members.
In their 50-page report, they highlighted how the forest is home to at least 42 schedule-I species (those receiving the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972), including 12 reptiles, three mammals, and 27 species of birds.
They urged CEC to carry out a comprehensive on-site survey to determine the full scale of ecological loss. “Apart from this,we also urged the CEC to prepare an authentic Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for Kancha Gachibowli public land, and identify alternative sites for revenue and real estate development,” said Umesh Ambedkar, president of the UoH students union.
The Vata Foundation too submitted a letter to the CEC urging that the forest be declared a national park so that it is protected. “Apart from this, we have requested for the Kancha Gachibowli forest area to be rebuilt as soon as possible and allow us to join hands with the forest department in their conservation efforts. It would be ideal to begin initial plantations by July, ahead of the monsoon,” said Uday Krishna, founder of the foundation.
The Supreme Court on April 3 asked the Telangana govt to explain the “compelling urgency” for clearing a large tree cover at Kancha Gachibowli and stayed any deforestation activity till further orders.
Through the day, the CEC team met Telangana govt officials, Vata Foundation members — it moved the first PIL in Telangana high court against the state’s decision to auction 400 acres of the land — faculty members from University of Hyderabad (UoH), and student union representatives among others.
“We have heard from all stakeholders and visited the site on UoH campus as well. Based on our findings we will submit a detailed report to the Supreme Court on April 15,” Sunil Limaye, a CEC member, told TOI.
Controversy around Kancha Gachibowli land started in Feb after the state govt announced its plans to clear the land for development projects. The move met with stiff opposition from environmentalists and UoH student groups who alleged that damaging the forest with 455 species of flora and fauna, two water bodies and 2.5 billion year-old-rocks would fuel the climate crisis.
On Thursday, the state govt submitted a report to the CEC reiterating that the land belongs to the govt and is not forest land. “The land is classified as ‘Kancha Poramboke’. Kancha means grazing/waste land. This land has never been notified as forest land under relevant enactments. It is not shown as forest land either in revenue records or in forest records. Forest dept is filing a counter in the present PIL before HC stating that it is not a forest land,” the report said.
The UoH faculty members appealed to the CEC to declare the area as a ‘deemed forest’ and turn it into a conserved zone. “To support our plea,we submitted evidence about the presence of diverse flora and fauna, including vulnerable and endangered species at the site,” said professor Joby Joseph, who submitted the representation along with student union members.
In their 50-page report, they highlighted how the forest is home to at least 42 schedule-I species (those receiving the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972), including 12 reptiles, three mammals, and 27 species of birds.
They urged CEC to carry out a comprehensive on-site survey to determine the full scale of ecological loss. “Apart from this,we also urged the CEC to prepare an authentic Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for Kancha Gachibowli public land, and identify alternative sites for revenue and real estate development,” said Umesh Ambedkar, president of the UoH students union.
The Vata Foundation too submitted a letter to the CEC urging that the forest be declared a national park so that it is protected. “Apart from this, we have requested for the Kancha Gachibowli forest area to be rebuilt as soon as possible and allow us to join hands with the forest department in their conservation efforts. It would be ideal to begin initial plantations by July, ahead of the monsoon,” said Uday Krishna, founder of the foundation.
