Six UoH students’ union members detained for protesting govt's infra project work at Kancha Gachibowli

Hyderabad: At least six students of the Students’ Union 2024-25 of the University of Hyderabad were detained by the police on Sunday after they protested the development works occurring at the 400 acres in Survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli, Serilingampally Mandal.

The government intends to develop world-class infrastructure in this government land through the Telangana Government Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TGIIC). It is preparing to invite tenders for the integrated development of this land.

While the TGIIC deployed JCB vehicles on Sunday to clear the bushes, the green cover and make the area plain, the Union members tried to question them.

Home to 237 species of birds

Kancha Gachibowli is one of the few remaining urban forests in Hyderabad. This habitat hosts a wide range of birds and animals. There are approximately 237 species of birds on the campus. It’s one among the few urban forest areas that houses Spotted Deer, Wild Boars, Star Tortoises, and snakes—Indian Rock Python, Vipers, Cobras, Boas and Kraits.

For the past one month, many residents of Hyderabad and the University of Hyderabad Students’ Union 2024-25 have been protesting land encroachment.

They have strongly condemned the statement made by chief minister A Revanth Reddy during the State assembly session. The CM’s remark that ‘there are no deer, no tigers, only ‘cunning foxes’ who want to hinder the State’s development' is a blatant attempt to demonize a legitimate protest led by the University’s stakeholders and civil society.

Students demand transfer of legal ownership of land to the University

The students demanded to immediately stop the auction work at Mushroom Rocks, constitute a team of experts to assess the ecological significance of the area under attack, and transfer legal ownership of land to the University to prevent future land grabs and encroachments.

On Sunday, in a video message, Students’ Union members who were detained said, “We have observed JCB vehicles near the East campus destroying the greenery. When we went to question them, police have tried to clear the area, six members have been forcefully taken into the van. We don’t know where the police are taking us.”

“It is shameful that the Chief Minister has resorted to such rhetoric instead of addressing the concerns raised by students, faculty, and researchers. Multiple studies, including those conducted by the University’s own faculty, have highlighted the ecological significance of the disputed land, emphasizing its diverse flora, fauna and endangered species,” said UOHSU in a statement.

IT minister said the government will leave university land

On March 24, IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu stated in the Assembly that the government would ‘not touch even an inch of university land’ and that it was seriously interested in safeguarding Central University lands.

“However, the reality is that the state government is misleading students to think that there is a distinction between university land and government land. It is well aware that the entire university is situated in the land of the state government. lt was, in fact, the Congress government under Indira Gandhi that originally allocated 2,300 acres of government land for the University. The grandstanding by the minister—now conveniently celebrated by the Congress-affiliated student organisation NSUI—is nothing more than a smokescreen to obscure the government’s corporate appeasement and wash their hands off the responsibility to safeguard the university land,” the UOHSU members opined.

TGIIC has earlier announced that the unique rock formations and mushroom rocks in this land would be preserved as a green zone. A detailed environmental protection plan has been prepared and will be implemented. TGIIC has not encroached the land, nor has it removed any water bodies or rock structures.