HYDERABAD: A collective of former civil servants, under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group, has criticised the Telangana government over the recent clearance of vegetation, including trees, in Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
In a statement signed by 67 retired officials from the IAS, IPS, IRS, IRAS, IFS, IDAS, RAS and other services – many with experience at both state and central levels – the group condemned the bulldozing of over 100 acres of green cover on land adjoining the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
Signatories included former special secretaries to the Government of India Anand Arni and G Balachandhran, and former chief secretary of Bihar Sharad Behar.
Raising concerns over the environmental, legal and constitutional implications of the clearance, the group pointed to an apparent contradiction between the Congress party’s promises and the state’s actions. They noted that the Congress manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections had pledged inclusive and sustainable development, including ecosystem protection and urgent climate action.
“It was therefore with dismay,” the statement reads, “that we learnt of the recent disturbing incidents at the University of Hyderabad.”
The former officials also criticised the state’s response to student protests against the clearance, which allegedly included arrests and lathi charge.
The statement accuses the state government of ignoring multiple Supreme Court directives on forest identification and conservation.
Forest identification rules ignored: Ex babus
Citing the 1996 Godavarman judgment, it noted that all states were directed to form Expert Committees to identify forests based on dictionary definitions, irrespective of ownership. The undivided Andhra Pradesh at the time reportedly did not comply.
Following the creation of Telangana in 2014, the state government allegedly continued this non-compliance by failing to update or prepare accurate forest data. The officials argue that, had such identification taken place, Kancha Gachibowli would have been classified as forest land based on records and biodiversity characteristics.
The group urged the state government to follow Supreme Court orders in both “letter and spirit” and allow the area to naturally regenerate as forest rather than converting it into a developmental site. It also called on the Congress to uphold its stated principles of transparency, accountability and stakeholder consultation, noting that the events in Kancha Gachibowli run counter to those commitments.