Nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts who have been opposing the proposed auction of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli village in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district have demanded the state government declare the land parcel as a national park on the lines of the 390-acre KBR National Park in the heart of Hyderabad.
“The ownership of the 400-acre urban forest is immaterial. In TN Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India case, the Supreme Court held that any land with forest cover qualifies as ‘forest land’, even if the land is not notified as a forest; that the term ‘forest’ is to be understood in the dictionary sense of the word,” said Shivani U of Save City Forest, a group of nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts who have come together to protect the Kancha Gachibowli land. “Therefore, Save City Forest demands that the Kancha Gachibowli urban forest – the green lungs of new Hyderabad – be declared a national park by the Telangana government,” she added.
The land is proposed to be auctioned by Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) “for developing IT infrastructure, improve connectivity and create sustainable urban spaces” for which TGIIC says it has “prepared a layout duly preserving rock formations including the Mushroom rock as green spaces within the layout”. Further, “as part of the master plan, a detailed Environment Management Plan is also being prepared to ensure sustainable development of the region,” TGIIC has said.
The government’s decision to auction the land through the 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.
“Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park (390 acres) and Kancha Gachibowli Forest (400 acres) have similar habitats, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, flora, topography, soil, climate, rock formations and forest typology. Both forests are home to Schedule-I protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, as per documented studies,” Save City Forest said in a statement.
Recalling the establishment of KBR National Park, the group said the then Andhra Pradesh government in 1990 recognised the ecological importance of a piece of princely land in Hyderabad to create a vital lung space for the city and acquired the land through a government order and entrusted it to the forest department.
Noting that the KBR land was originally government land even before its formal declaration as a national park, the group said the Andhra Pradesh government had swiftly acted to conserve its protected species, eco-sensitive zones, landscape, flora, and water bodies, demonstrating a commitment to its ecological preservation. “This action by the government upheld the principle of the public trust doctrine, which emphasises the state’s responsibility to protect natural resources for the benefit of the public,” the statement added.
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The Save City Forest group asked the Telangana government and TGIIC to take cognisance of the fact that the Kancha Gachibowli Forest belongs to no one by natural law and that it is the common property of the public. “The government must take back such land from TGIIC and preserve and conserve it,” the group said, pointing out that Article 48A of the Constitution of India states that the state “shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”.
Further, the group noted that the move to clear forest cover with Schedule-I species without any environmental impact assessment or environmental clearance is a grave offence under the wildlife and environmental laws, irrespective of the title to such land or the tender upon such land.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
