Watch video: High Court halts felling of trees on disputed land near Hyderabad University

New Delhi: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday halted - for 24 hours - work on 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli near the Hyderabad Central University (HCU). The interim order was passed as the court heard PILs, or public interest litigations, filed by students and the Vata Foundation, NDTV reported.

The petitioners had sought a stay arguing that the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, or TGIIC, was cutting trees using bulldozers in violation of Supreme Court orders.

They argued that even if the land had been allotted to the TGIIC pursuant to a state government order from June last year, the company had to follow the top court’s orders regarding the use of heavy vehicles to uproot trees and level the ground.

Eaelier, in a tense standoff, police resorted to lathicharge to disperse students of university who were protesting against the felling of forest land on their campus.

• Why the controversy?

• The dispute is decades old. The Hyderabad Central University claims that the 400 acres are part of the 2,324 acres allotted to it in 1975. However, the High Court ruled in 2022 that there was no legal document proving the transfer of this land to the university. The Supreme Court later upheld this decision, confirming that the government owns the land.

• Despite this ruling, students and environmentalists argue that the land is an ecologically sensitive zone. They claim it is home to over 455 species of flora and fauna, including peacocks, buffalo lakes, and mushroom rocks,

• Activists from the Vata Foundation, an NGO, have filed a petition demanding that the land be declared a national park under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. They want it to be granted ‘deemed forest’ status.

• The protest is part of a larger dispute over the government’s decision to auction 400 acres of land that the students claim is vital to the university’s ecosystem.

The students have been vocal in their opposition, arguing that the land, home to over 455 species of flora and fauna, is an integral part of the university’s biodiversity.

The protest intensified as the Telangana government continued clearing the land in the Kancha Gachibowli area, which is located within the university’s vicinity.

Earthmovers were deployed overnight to destroy the green space, despite a petition pending before the High Court that seeks to preserve the area as a national park.

The Telangana government, however, maintains that it is the rightful owner of the land and insists that it is not designated as forest land. The government’s plan is to develop the area into world-class infrastructure, IT parks, and urban living spaces, which would generate substantial revenue for the state.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office emphasized that the clearing of the land was being carried out in line with the court’s ruling, asserting that the university does not have ownership over the land.

The controversy deepened when Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha criticized the Congress government for targeting HCU’s land. She suggested that the state government should utilize land that is not adjacent to the university for infrastructure development. Kavitha highlighted the government’s disregard for both the environment and the university’s academic sanctity, stating that the university’s 2,500-acre campus was at risk.

Adding to the tension, the BRS party condemned the detention of a journalist who was covering the student protests, with BRS working president KT Rama Rao accusing the Congress of suppressing free speech and expression.