Comprehensive ecological assessment of 400-acre land in Kancha Gachibowli and protection of all the water bodies in the area were some of the recommendations made by the Central Empowered Committee. File photo of a lake in the land parcel.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in its report submitted to the apex court on Thursday (May 15, 2025), favoured declaration of the 400-Acre Land at Kancha Gachibowli as forest landand its management entrusted to the Forest Department.
The committee has added a recommendation to the State government for declaring the land as conservation reserve in accordance with the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Extent of dense, moderately dense and open forest
The CEC has relied on the Forest Survey of India’s (FSI) study which stated that 56% of the land supported significant forest cover. Classifying it into categories of canopy density, the FSI report found that before the felling of trees, 7.08% of the land was very dense forest, 31.89% moderately dense forest, and 17.17% open forest.
These figures are much higher than the corresponding State level figures, which indicate 1.44% dense forest, 7.99% moderately dense, and 9.5% open forests.hosting the Kancha Gachibowli land, the figures are even lower, with 0.002% very dense forest, 0.61% moderately dense, and 7.92% open forests.
Highlighting the rich biodiversity existing on the 2,300-plus acres of land parcel of which the disputed land is part ofthe CEC noted that the features of the land collectively contribute to a structurally diverse and ecologically resilient ecosystem.
“….The subject land warrants the highest level of protection and careful consideration for classification as a deemed forest or conservation reserve…. The ecological importance of the ‘subject land’ becomes more important when we look at this green and biodiversity-rich parcel of land right in the middle of a thickly populated area…,” the report read.
Dense plantation of native trees in monsoon
The committee has also endorsed restoration of the land to its original shape, which has been partially cleared of its greenery by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) in preparation for auction. A dense plantation of native trees and shrub species and necessary soil and moisture conservation activities should be taken up in the coming monsoons, the report said.
Identify forest lands in Telangana
Among other recommendations is the reconstitution of the Expert Committee to identify forest lands within the State, with inclusion of field level forest officers, ecologists, IT and remote sensing professionals, and survey agencies.
Adopting stricter parameters for identification of government lands as deemed forest lands in comparison with the criteria for private lands, and differentiated criteria for rural and urban areas for context-sensitive identification of forest lands were a few recommendations for the expert committee.
A high level interdepartmental coordination committee comprising the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Commissioner, Land Administration, senior officials from land owning departments, legal experts, and ecologists has been advocated by the committee to finalise the criteria for identification of government and institutional lands, and to oversee the compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court.
Comprehensive ecological assessment of the area preferably by the Wildlife Institute of India or a similarly reputed institution, protection of all the water bodies in the area as wetlands in accordance with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and closure of all sewage outlets flowing into the University of Hyderabad campus were the other recommendations.
Published – May 15, 2025 04:36 PM is
