Telangana HC orders a pause on the clearing of 400-acre green cover near Hyderabad University
Telangana HC Orders A Pause On The Clearing Of 400 Acres Of Land: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday halted work on 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli near Hyderabad Central University for 24 hours. The court passed the interim order while hearing public interest litigations filed by students and the Vata Foundation. The petitioners had sought the stay arguing that the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation or TGIIC was felling trees using bulldozers in violation of Supreme Court orders. They argued that although the land was allotted as per the state order, TGIIC had to follow the apex court’s orders – that is, form a committee to monitor the felling of trees.
Notably, the apex court had ruled that the committee must study the impact of felling of trees for a month before taking a decision if the land is inhabited by wildlife. The petitioners claimed that the land in question is inhabited by a wide variety of animals and birds and accordingly, NGO Vata Foundation sought forest status and sought to declare it a ‘national park’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
What was told to the court by the Telangana government?
However, Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy, appearing for the Telangana government, told the court that the 400 acres of land have not been recognised as ‘forest’, a fact he emphasised, citing the fact that high-rise buildings with four helipads have been constructed on adjoining plots. He also argued that many areas in Hyderabad have snakes and peacocks and cannot be declared a ‘forest’. After hearing both sides, a division bench of the high court, led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, ordered a halt to the ongoing work till Thursday.
The university students had started protesting after TGIIC started clearing trees and rocks for auction for the development of IT parks. The students have announced an indefinite boycott of classes until their demands are met. The situation worsened on Sunday when bulldozers arrived to level the land.
Clash between police and students:
A clash followed and the police beat up the students. The police accused the students of obstructing government officials in their work. The Telangana government has clarified that it has not taken the university land and criticised the opposition BRS and BJP for spreading lies about the land for political gains.
The state said that strict action will be taken against those who obstruct development. The involvement of BJP in this matter has further fuelled the political controversy. BRS has accused the police of misbehaving with the protesting students. BRS had earlier attacked the Congress and accused its top leader Rahul Gandhi of spreading hatred under the pretext of ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’.
ALSO READ: stay fit and toned without going to the gym
