HYDERABAD: The 102 acres of forest land in Sahebnagar Kalan village, recently cleared by the Supreme Court after decades of litigation, will be developed into an urban park on the lines of KBR National Park, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Dr C Suvarna said on Monday.
Describing the conclusion of the Sahebnagar Kalan case as a relief achieved by sustained and coordinated efforts over several years, Dr Suvarna stated that the land will be fenced and developed as an urban forest.
She said the state government had pursued several long-running legal battles to protect forest land, including disputes involving nearly 300 acres in Shamshabad and around 100 acres in parts of Rangareddy district. In many cases, she said, claimants had approached courts using forged, fabricated or manipulated documents. On Monday, officials involved in pursuing the case were felicitated at the KBR Park.
The dispute centred on the Gurramguda Reserve Forest Block, which has a documented legal history spanning more than five decades. The forest block, spread over 465 acres, was notified under Section 4 of the Forest Act in 1971, covering lands in Sy. No. 201 of Sahebnagar (Poramboke), Sy. No. 93 of Turkayamjal (Kancha) and Sy. No. 140/1 of Nadergul village.
Names of assignees deleted in ’97
The reservation process was completed in 1972 with the issuance of a proclamation under Section 6 by the Forest Settlement Officer.
Survey and settlement records of Rangareddy district have consistently shown Sy. No. 201 of Sahebnagar Kalan, Hayathnagar mandal, as Kancha Poramboke sarkari land. Officials said proposals under Section 15 were submitted in 2004 and forwarded by the district administration in 2008, stating that no claims were pending at that time. They also noted that 570 acres in the same survey number had already been transferred to the forest department in 1953. Revenue records, including pahani documents from 1975–76 onwards, continued to classify the land as sarkari (government), with minor variations in the pattedar column. Corrections ordered by the High Court and implemented in 1997 led to the removal of assignees’ names and restoration of 770 acres and 27 guntas as sarkari land in official records.
Claims over 102 acres, filed by individuals asserting succession rights linked to Salarjung-III, were rejected by the Forest Settlement Officer in 2010. The matter, however, moved through several courts over the years. The forest department continued to contest the claims, with the approval of the Telangana government, and engaged senior counsel to argue the case before the Supreme Court.
The apex court ultimately allowed the forest department’s SLP, set aside earlier judgments of lower courts and dismissed petitions filed by claimants.