HCU Students Protest Continuous Against Deforestation in Kancha Gachibowli
HCU students and environmental activists protest against the Telangana government's auction of 400 acres of forest land in Kancha Gachibowli. Read about the deforestation, student arrests, and political reactions
kowshik Reddy
The Telangana government has decided to auction off the 400-acre land parcels in Kancha Gachibowli that fell prey to the protests organized by the students of the University of Hyderabad (HCU) along with the environmental activists. The land being contested, adjacent to the HCU campus, is a living forest ecosystem including several faunal and floral species that are deemed sensitive ecologically.
On March 30, 2025, the authorities will begin the clearing process of the wooded land, said to remove about 50 acres of trees, probably overnight. This has raised some very strong voices against potential biodiversity loss with extreme environmental impacts on Hyderabad's green cover.
HCU students are protesting against the land auction and deforestation because they need that piece of land as a critical green lung for the city, giving rain and wildlife habitats within the confines of the city, along with the climate change mitigation it provides. The encounter has been ugly, with much confrontation with police and with several students, including a few HCU Student Union members, detained.
Well, more political leaders were assessed on the matter. K.T. Rama Rao, Working President of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), criticized the actions of the Congress-led Telangana government while asking why it was so fast in converting a green area to a commercial hub, thus ending up causing environmental impacts on western Hyderabad. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy condemned the decision of the state as an action prior to proof of not caring about biodiversity destruction, and thus harshness against the protests conducted by the students.
A petition titled Halt TGIIC's auction of 400+ acres of vital forest land in Kancha Gachibowli" has come up with ways to counter the government's schemes and has gained a lot of public support. The petition establishes the high environmental significance of the land and calls for its preservation.
The situation keeps evolving; students, environmentalists, and worried citizens keep talking about the need for protecting the Kancha Gachibowli forest land against deforestation and its commercialization.
