HYDERABAD: Despite protests from the students of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), excavators continued to clear forested land as part of the 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli area, which the Telangana government plans to auction for the development of multi-infrastructure and IT parks.
On Sunday, the Cyberabad police detained several UoH students who had staged a protest on the East campus against the land clearing.
According to the students, as many as eight earth movers were used to clear the land, and the area was heavily policed.
Upon hearing the news, the students rushed to the location, shouting slogans against the government. They strongly opposed the proposed auction, expressing concern over the impact on the campus's ecosystem. Reports indicated that the number of excavators was increased to 40 overnight to accelerate the work.
In a statement, the students union said the inaction and silence of the university administration in addressing the grave issue are alarming.
“The students’ union has repeatedly sought a response from the administration, but no official statement or action has been taken so far,” it added.
It is to be recalled that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had previously clarified in the Assembly that the land up for auction does not belong to the university and that the state government is the sole owner of the property. He also mentioned that the protests were obstructing the proposed development project by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC).
However, the student union claimed that the auction by TSIIC violates environmental laws. They argued that no prior environmental impact assessment or clearance has been obtained for the project. Additionally, they pointed out that the government proceeded with the auction without waiting for the next hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), scheduled for April 7, which seeks to declare Kancha Gachibowli a national park.