University of Hyderabad denies surveying to demarcate 400 acres as state govt land on campus

Hyderabad: In response to the rumours on the demarcation of 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli for developing infrastructure, the University of Hyderabad issued a clarification that revenue authorities in the university campus did not conduct any survey in July 2024 to demarcate the 400 acres recovered by the State Government in 2006 from IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd.

A day ago, several JCBs entered the campus and started clearing land, leading to large-scale student protests. The ongoing protests by students, faculty and staff against the unjust move highlight the significance of retaining the land for educational and environmental purposes.

Six students of the Students’ Union 2024-25 of the University of Hyderabad were detained after they protested the development works occurring at the 400 acres in Survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli, Serilingampally Mandal. The issue has become more serious, and the students continue to protest.

237 species of birds live on UoH campus

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.

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.

‘Only a preliminary inspection of the land’s topography done’

On Monday, in a statement given, University of Hyderabad registrar Devesh Nigam stated that the only action taken thus far has been a preliminary inspection of the land’s topography. The university also denied the statement of the TGIIC in the press recently that it has agreed to such demarcation of the land.

“In fact, no demarcation of land has been done, nor has the university been informed. The University of Hyderabad, an Institution of Eminence in its Golden Jubilee year, has been requesting the State Government for the alienation of its land. The university will forward the representations of the stakeholders to the State Government to reconsider the points raised and request the State Government to conserve the environment and biodiversity in the university,” the registrar said.

The university administration asked all stakeholders and members of the media to exercise caution and refrain from disseminating or endorsing unverified information.

HRF responds to the issue

The Human Rights Forum strongly condemned the Telangana government’s decision to auction 400 acres of land in Survey No. 25 (P) of the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus through TGIIC.

The land was originally allocated to HCU by the government of India in 1973 for academic and research purposes.

“The reckless commercial exploitation of this land would severely damage the biodiversity and disrupt the academic environment. Despite past attempts by the government to allocate parts of this land to various institutions, the land was always meant for public and research-oriented purposes. The Telangana government’s recent auction attempt contradicts this principle and disregards the environmental and academic needs of the university. Moreover, the heavy-handed response by the police, including the arrest of protesting students and the destruction of parts of the land using JCBs under police protection, is a blatant violation of democratic rights,” said M Suresh, president of HRC, in a statement.

Students Naveen and Rohit from different student unions were booked under serious charges in the Gachibowli police station. HRC said that the repression of peaceful protestors is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately.

The organisation demanded:

1. The Telangana government must immediately stop the auction process and allocate the 400 acres of land exclusively to Hyderabad Central University.

2. A comprehensive survey of the entire university land must be conducted, and the land should be officially registered under HCU’s name.

3. All students detained on March 30, 2025, must be released immediately, and all charges against them should be dropped. A biodiversity assessment must be carried out to protect the region’s ecological balance and historical significance.