Destruction of forest in Kancha Gachibowli, Telangana violation of Congress party manifesto: CCG Statement

The hasty and unilateral bulldozer-induced destruction of over 100 acres of forested land in Kancha Gachibowli, Telangana to allow an IT hub is a violation of the Congress party’s own manifesto says retired civil servants in an open statement released recently.

Elaborating further, the statement says that, the Congress party in its manifesto for the 2024 elections reaffirmed its profound commitment to rapid, inclusive and sustainable development, and to protect its ecosystems, local communities, flora and fauna. It also said that it would address the issues of environment and climate change with the seriousness these deserve.  Hence the disturbing incidents at the Hyderabad Central University, viz. the clearing of over 100 acres of forested land in Kancha Gachibowli, using bulldozers, with the objective of using this land for IT buildings and activities are a violation of the party’s own poll promise.

Moreover, when students of Hyderabad University peacefully protested against the clearance of the forested land, the felling of the trees, and the use of bulldozers, the state government, instead of holding a dialogue with them to resolve the matter, sought to quell the protest by force, even resorting to arrests and lathi charges, records the statement. “We are relieved that the   government has now stepped back from its earlier stand but we are still concerned about a number of issues concerning this land.”

To clarify the deliberate confusion created by the state government on the issue of the land concerned not being forest land, the former civil servants iterate that there is considerable evidence that refutes this claim. The contra-indications are listed below:

• As per the Supreme Court order of 1996, in what is commonly known as the Godavarman case, all States were to constitute State Expert Committees (SEC) to identify all forests as per the dictionary meaning of the word, irrespective of ownership. The Andhra Pradesh Government (of which Telangana was a part in 1996) failed to constitute the SEC and therefore did not identify all forests as directed by the Supreme Court. They also failed to comply with subsequent Supreme Court orders on geo-referencing of forests.  The claim that the impugned land is not forest land has, therefore, no legal basis, being the outcome of non-compliance of the orders of the Supreme Court.

• When Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 it had no comprehensive data on forests; nor did the state take any steps to identify forests as per the Supreme Court’s orders.

• It may be noted that had the directions of the Supreme Court been followed, the land in question, Kancha Gachibowli, would very likely have been identified as forest as per the “dictionary meaning”, as well as per the land records, which called it a “wasteland” (which signifies grasslands, scrub forests etc.)

• In early 2025, the Supreme Court in WP 1164/23, again directed all states to identify and geo-reference all forests on the ground. While it was widely reported in the press that such a committee had been constituted in Telangana on March 15, 2025,  the government did not bother to wait either for the report of this committee or its acceptance by the Supreme Court, before declaring that the impugned area (Kancha Gachibowli) is not a forest. This shows disregard of the Supreme Court’s orders. We wonder what the purpose was of setting up a committee to identify all forests as per the Supreme Court’s directions, if such forests are destroyed without any concern for the legality, or the protests of citizens, or the biodiversity and wildlife of the area.

• We learn that this forested patch has reported many migratory birds, 220 species of other birds, deer, 700 species of plants, the critically endangered star tortoises, and the Hyderabad Tree Trunk spider- an endemic species found nowhere else in the world!

Thereafter, the statement records that, they are heartened by the fact that the Supreme Court while hearing this matter recently has, on April 16, 2025, reiterated its earlier orders regarding identification of all forests and has emphasised that the Court’s orders need to be strictly followed.

“Hyderabad is fortunate to have these 400 acres as part of the city landscape: it acts as a catchment area for trapping the rainfall, recharging the ground water which is used by nearby colonies and buildings; it moderates the “heat island “effect of the city- experts have opined that it lowers the ambient temperature by as much as 4 degrees Celsius; it functions as the city’s green lung, capturing pollution and greenhouse gases. It boggles the mind that these ecological and climatic benefits have been completely disregarded by the Telangana government in its disastrous push to denude the area of its green cover, precisely at a time when there is unanimous consensus among scientists and climatologists about increasing heat waves and water shortages. The government should listen to at least the experts, if not to the citizens and students. Development at such a huge cost to the natural environment, when alternatives for the IT Park are available, is nothing less than ecocide.”

The collective of retired civil servants, Constitutional Conduct Group, have worked both with the Central and State governments. They have come together as the Constitutional Conduct Group to speak out against violations of the Indian Constitution.

Thereafter the statement records that while the CCG appreciates the fact that the Telangana government has now withdrawn from confrontation in this matter and is trying to find an acceptable solution, we are alarmed to learn that Rs. 10000 crore has been taken from private parties against that land. It is equally worrisome that instead of promising that this area would be allowed to regenerate as a forest and become a green lung for the city and a haven for its wildlife and biodiversity, there are media reports that indicate that Government wants to convert the whole land, including the land of the University into an eco-park.  An eco-park is not a forest; it is a human-centric “developmental” activity, and not in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement. The State should instead ensure that the Expert Committee implements the Supreme Court orders of 19/02/24 and 04/03/25 in “letter and spirit”. It should, thereafter, protect all its identified forests to ensure ecosystem services for human sustenance and the well-being of its biodiversity.

The Congress Party has been advocating the concepts of accountability, stake holder consultation and good governance in other parts of the country. The opportunity available in the State of Telangana to show a difference is unfortunately getting lost because of actions such as those at Kancha Gachibowli. The CCG hopes that the proposed auction or allotment of this land to private parties is cancelled and that the Expert Committee is allowed to diligently identify and geo-reference all forests, and allow forests to regenerate on all forest lands where felling has taken place.

“While the issue of Kancha Gachibowli got intense media attention because it is in a metropolitan city, adjoining a university, and due to the mass protests of students, such large-scale felling and wanton destruction of forests, biodiversity and wildlife is a recurring feature in almost all States under almost every political and bureaucratic dispensation. Such activity massively impacts the ecological security of our country.  State and UT governments must take active steps to protect all common property resources, because action is needed in every part of the country. Our fervent appeal to all governments is to ensure that our forests and biodiversity across the country are protected and not diverted in the name of “development”.”

There are 67 signatories to this statement of the Constitutional Conduct Group as below:

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