Declare Kancha Gachibowli site as forest land, says CEC in final report

Time of India

15-05-2025

Hyderabad: In its final report submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday, the
Central Empowered Committee
(CEC) recommended that the 400-acre
Kancha Gachibowli
site be declared as forest land and brought under the jurisdiction of the
Telangana forest department
. It also called for urgent
ecological restoration
of the area through long-term conservation efforts.
The three-member SC body that visited the city following protests by University of Hyderabad (UoH) students and environmentalists last month, had submitted its interim report on April 15.
"The land parcel that has been cleared of vegetation shall be restored to its original shape by raising a dense plantation of native tree and shrub species by the forest department in the coming rainy season," stated the report, a copy of which is with TOI.
Quoting from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) assessment, commissioned by the CEC, it stated that about 105 acres were illegally cleared, converting previously dense and moderately dense forest into non-forest land. "The FSI found that over 60% to 70% of the larger 409-acre parcel consisted of medium to dense forest, validating the land's ecological significance," it read, adding that 1,399 exempted trees, 125 non-exempted trees were felled unlawfully "by contractor S Govindu Krishna, partner of M/s Delta Corporation".
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"A case was booked against him under the WALTA Act 2002, following which three JCBs were seized, and a penalty of Rs five lakh was imposed on the zonal manager, TGIIC, for failing to monitor the contractor," the report further read.
In addition, the committee asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to shut all sewage outlets flowing into the four water bodies on campus — Peacock Lake, Gunneru Kunta, Guntla Kunta, and Chilukala Kunta — and preserve them as wetlands.
It urged the civic body to set up sewage treatment plant outside the university limits within the next 12 months.
The CEC also asked the state to reconstitute its expert committee to identify forest-like areas across Telangana. "The team must include field forest officers, wildlife experts, ecologists, IT and remote sensing professionals, and survey agencies to ensure proper identification of forest-like areas as per the Court's orders," the report stated.