HYDERABAD: Union Coal & Mines Minister and state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy on Thursday urged the state government to immediately stop the process initiated to auction 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, he also requested the government to explore the possibility of notifying the 400 acre land, along with the adjoining 800 acres, as a national biodiversity park under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Kishan recalled that when Revanth was the TPCC chief the latter said “let us not sell government lands for our luxuries. If we sell them, there will be no land left in the future to build public hospitals, schools or even cremation grounds.”
The Union minister said that the land proposed for auction is adjacent to various lakes and habitats rich in biodiversity. “This land is home to 734 plant species and 220 species of birds, including peacocks, migratory birds, spotted deer, four-horned antelopes, wild boars, pythons and Indian star tortoises. There are also natural rock formations like mushroom rocks, making the area highly attractive and ecologically significant,” he said.
“Of particular concern is the threat to the Indian star tortoise and its habitat. This species is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which mandates the protection of both the species and their natural habitat. Moreover, since 2016, this species has been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and since 2019, under Appendix I of the CITES Convention, granting it the highest level of international protection from trade,” he added.