The land is located in the IT hub of Hyderabad and became contentious, with people expressing concerns over the loss of green cover and space for wildlife
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that while it supports sustainable development of urban cities, it does not approve of the brazen manner adopted by the Telangana government to decimate acres of green cover forming part of the ecologically sensitive Kancha Gachibowli area in Hyderabad.
In April, the Supreme Court issued orders to stop all deforestation activity undertaken in the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli area by the Telangana government (PTI)
In April, the Supreme Court issued orders to stop all deforestation activity undertaken in the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli area by the Telangana government (PTI)
Taking up hearing of suo moto proceedings in which orders were issued in April this year stopping all deforestation activity undertaken in the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli area, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai said, “I am an advocate of sustainable development, but that does not mean you will employ 30 bulldozers overnight and destroy all forest land.”
The land is located in the IT hub of Hyderabad and became contentious, with people expressing concerns over the loss of green cover and space for wildlife.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Telangana government apprised the court that based on the last order passed by the court in May, the state has taken steps to preserve the remaining green cover and wildlife.
An affidavit filed by the state on Tuesday informed the court of using the said land for development activities in the state. The court posted the matter for consideration of the affidavit on August 13.
When the bench remarked, “Anyways, now the forest is protected,” Singhvi pointed out that the state objects to the use of this term as the subject land was never a forest as per records.
The affidavit of the state filed through advocate Sravan Kumar Karanam pointed out that the land has been earmarked in successive government initiatives for various public purposes, from sports infrastructure and institutional development to housing and industrial expansion.“This process involved multiple stakeholders and passed through legislative enactments, Cabinet-level approvals, and inter-departmental consultations. At no stage the subject land was treated as forest land; rather, it was consistently viewed as a development reserve of high strategic value,” the state said.
In the past, the court had questioned the haste with which the state employed JCBs and heavy equipment and cleared trees from 100 acres of the Gachbowli land.
On a site inspection by the Telangana high court registrar as ordered by the court, there were deer, peacock and birds found at the spot, giving the court a clear indication of the existence of a forest. Even the central empowered committee (CEC) assisting the court on environment issues described the area as forest deserving protection under the applicable environmental laws.
However, the state has maintained that the land was an open space locked in litigation for 17 years, during which period green cover developed in the area, which cannot be used to retroactively impose a forest classification on the land.
As part of the further development activities, the state informed the court that “proactive” steps have been taken to identify and preserve as many existing trees as possible to ensure minimal disruption to the natural canopy. In 2024, the state had engaged an agency for development of the land.
“The proposed development, which is restricted to 400 acres within the broader land (Kancha Gachibowli), has been consciously designed so as not to disturb the larger ecological balance of the region. Substantial portions of it remain untouched and continue to serve as open spaces or institutional holdings, including lands earmarked for public purposes and leading educational institutions,” the state informed the court.