Telangana govt 'undermined' SC order on forest lands, says CEC

The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee has found fault with the Telangana government for its undue haste in felling of trees and clearing of shrubs in the 400 acres of disputed land at Kancha Gachibowli adjacent to the University of Hyderabad, despite the fact that it has all the characteristics of a forest.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

[e-mail] HYDERABAD:

"The forest clearing operations undertaken by the Telangana Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) appears to be a calculated move to pre-empt and undermine the process of identification of forest-like areas, as mandated by the Supreme Court," the CEC said, in its report submitted to the apex court bench comprising Justice B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih on Wednesday.

The CEC, in its report which was seen by HT, recommended that in view of the area's rich biodiversity, presence of wildlife and ecologically significant lakes, the Supreme Court may consider protecting the entire vacant land of University of Hyderabad, including the subject land, as an ecologically sensitive zone and restrain further clearing or development activities until a comprehensive ecological assessment is conducted, preferably by the Wild Life Institute of India.

The CEC of the Union ministry of environment and forests headed by director general of forests Siddhanta Das and comprising senior officials Chandra Prakash Goyal and Sunil Limaye visited the University of Hyderabad and Kancha Gachibowli land on April 10 and interacted with various stakeholders.

The CEC pointed out that the apex court in its judgment of March 3, 2025, had categorically directed all States and Union Territories to identify lands falling under the definition of forest-like areas and ensure that no such areas were diverted or degraded pending their identification and categorization.