The opposition to the proposed auction of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli village in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district, centred around environmental concerns, is growing by the day. The government decision to auction the land through the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) has sparked outrage among environmentalists and nearby residents, who argue that this land is a vital ecosystem, home to diverse wildlife and a natural carbon sink for carbon dioxide, which helps mitigate climate change impacts.
A petition on change.org titled ‘Halt TGIIC’s Auction of 400+ Acres of Vital Forest Land in Kancha Gachibowli’, urging the authorities to roll back the proposed auction and protect the Kancha Gachibowli forest land, has been live since Monday and has garnered over 18,000 signatures in a little over 24 hours.
Wildlife enthusiasts and nearby residents under the umbrella banner ‘Save City Forest’ say the green cover is a natural climate regulator for Hyderabad and functions as a green lung space, reducing urban heat island effects and cooling the surrounding areas.
“The land originally belonged to the University of Hyderabad (UoH). There is a lot of wildlife and a visible forest here, but when TGIIC put out the circular, there was no mention of forest and wildlife. It is 400 acres plus the university land, a total of which comes to 1,300 acres,” Shivani U of ‘Save City Forest’ said.
According to Shivani, any development here will disrupt the connectivity of movement for the wildlife. “There are about 237 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, a star tortoise that is a protected species, a lot of Schedule 1 animals too,” she added.
The University of Hyderabad was established in 1974 and allotted 2,300 acres under Survey No 25 by the Andhra Pradesh government for academic and research purposes. The present issue dates back to 2003 when the university and the then Andhra Pradesh government agreed to transfer 534 acres to a private sports development company. No progress in the deal led the government to reclaim the land in 2007. A lengthy court battle ensued, culminating in a 2025 high court ruling favouring the state government. The current 400-acre development plan utilises a portion of this recovered land.
UoH students are also gearing up for a protest to save the piece of land, which they claim is integral to their campus. Nihad Sulaiman, general secretary of the University of Hyderabad Students Union (UoHSU), said governments have taken away university land for various purposes like the IIIT campus, Gachibowli Stadium, HCU bus depot, a power station, a school, and also a shooting range. He said a mass movement is building up against the proposed auction.
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“Soon after the high court order, the state government is going for an auction. This is university land meant for students and researchers. It is concerning when the university is expanding. The land is inside the campus but away from the buildings,” said Sulaiman, an MA Political Science student, adding that the students are also exploring possible legal options.
Highlighting the importance of preserving green spaces in Hyderabad, which is already experiencing the effects of urbanisation and pollution, Ruchith Asha Kamal, a climate activist with Climate Front Hyderabad, said auctioning off this land will lead to further deforestation, exacerbating environmental issues and threatening the local biodiversity.
“This is a forest rich in biodiversity. The land should be protected as an ecologically sensitive zone. This is an urban green space three to four times bigger than the KBR National Park in the city,” said the climate activist.
Requesting anonymity, a senior university official said that the land belongs to the state government and that the UoH has nothing to do with the land or the controversy. According to him, the land is towards the east campus but no demarcation has been done. The Telangana government is working on demarcation and they will inform us, he added.
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“We are very clear it is not our land. It is based on a court order passed in a case between IMG Bharatha and the state government, where the university was not a party. This outcome has come based on a high court division bench order dated March 7, 2024, which was contested by IMG Bharatha against the Telangana government. The high court division bench has ordered that this land belongs to the state government. We are not a party to it,” the official told indianexpress.com.
