Why were students protesting over Kancha Gachibowli? | Explained Premium

Kancha Gachibowli protests: University of Hyderabad students protest against auction of campus land, Supreme Court intervenes, highlighting environmental concerns and legal battles.

The story so far: The students of the University of Hyderabad at Gachibowli have been protesting ever since the news of the auction of a 400-acre land parcel known as Kancha Gachibowli within campus premises broke. The battle has now reached the Supreme Court, which has acknowledged the destruction of greenery and the existence of wildlife in the area, before taking it up suo motu. Three PILs have already been filed in the Telangana High Court against the auction.

Also Read: Destruction in Kancha Gachibowli ‘forest’ area depicts an ‘alarming picture’, says SC

Students state that the land is part of the university, a claim which has been vehemently denied by the government.

The land was part of the 2,324 acres granted to the University of Hyderabad at the time of its establishment in 1974, as part of the six-point formula proposed by the then Congress government to assuage regional sentiments stoked by the Telangana movement of 1969. However, the land allocation was not formalised through title transfer. Subsequently, large tracts of land, unused by the university, were taken up by the government for various purposes including establishing the Indian Institute of Information Technology, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh to name a few. By 2010, more than 800 acres of land was taken away in 22 such instances.

The 400 acres of land which is now under conflict was part of such diversions in 2004, under the then Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government. An MoU was signed with the University of Hyderabad, for the transfer of 534 acres, in lieu of 396 acres allocated at another location. The land formed part of 850 acres allocated to IMG Academies Bharata for developing sports facilities. A sale deed was subsequently signed, just before Legislative Assembly elections in which the TDP was routed by the Congress. After winning the elections, the then Chief Minister cancelled the land transfer, leading to a long drawn out legal battle. The top court dismissed the Special Leave Petition, allowing the present government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to take up the land.

Undisturbed for more than 20 years, the land has become home to a rich variety of native flora and fauna. Several migratory birds also visit the area. A recent compendium of biodiversity collated from the campus mentions 233 bird species, which is higher than the avian numbers in the KBR National Park and the Mrugavani National Park. It also cited Murricia hyderabadensis, a unique spider, which is endemic to the Kancha Gachibowli forest, and found nowhere else. The document also lists at least three reptiles, and 27 bird species which are mentioned in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, indicating their vulnerability and need for highest protection, besides 72 species of tree diversity.

One more contention by environmentalists is the lack of required permissions for felling greenery, and the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment which is mandatory for such projects.