Where will birds and animals in Kancha Gachibowli go? Govt officials evade responsibility on relocation plans

Hyderabad: It was a distressing sight to see horned deer, spotted deer and peacocks running for cover as the bulldozers of the Telangana State government cleared the green area of Kancha Gachibowli in Hyderabad for its development project. The sound of the bulldozers upset the peacocks who were seen making a lot of noise.

The night operations cleared the trees and shrubs home to these animals. Who is responsible for providing new homes to the fauna that has been displaced forever?

Documenting the loss of animal habitat

It is nesting time for birds here, and most of them have their homes in the trees being uprooted by bulldozers, harming the next generation of their species. Where will the animals and birds go? Will the State Forest Department relocate them? Will the public come to know about their troubles, and who from the government is going to document them?

These are the questions environmentalists are asking as bulldozers erase trees, creepers, and cacti from the area, clearing it to develop a 400-acre ‘Future City.’

Shifting the burden from one govt department to another

The wildlife is presently stuck in a bureaucratic tangle. When NewsMeter contacted Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TGIIC), a senior official tried to shift the burden to the forest department. “The animals must be moved to the forest department near Mrugavani,” was the reply from an official, on condition of anonymity.

When informed about TGIIC’s reply, the forest department officials told NewsMeter that the local Serilingampally administration must write to the department, and only then can they swing into action.

A senior forest department official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The land is not a forest area. However, there is a presence of animals, reptiles and birds in the green cover. As they are now being spotted, the department can swing into action only if there is a request from the local administration.”

A senior UOH professor says, "Forest department officials have been constantly coming to the University. They know that it is a bio-diversity area, there are thousands of photographs of wildlife, census of bird counts and also the different species who stay in this habitat. All the information is available online, yet they turned a blind eye. What are the students of the UOH, who are now ministers and also bureaucrats doing?"

Will the animals migrate on their own?

Will the Telangana State government wait for the animals to move to city areas, or will they swing into action to provide new green cover? It is important to decide soon as it is a harrowing sight to see images of animals running helter-skelter as the bulldozers mow the land in Kancha Gachibowli.

Environmentalists said that the animals will be forced to find new homes, but as there are roads and human habitats around, migration will be difficult and can be fatal. There has been destruction over the years in UOH for new buildings, explained a senior professor and there is also destruction outside. "Both ways, the wildlife is losing its habitat. The Life Sciences building to UOH had star tortoise coming in as it was the habitat of the animal. There are monitor lizards which are 4 to 5 feet, where will they go now?"

Another important factor is the carrying capacity of every green area

“Every green cover or forest area has its carrying capacity, i.e. a limited amount of living species it can manage. When fauna from these areas which are being mowed down move to those areas, they will also face the existing animals there and have to compete with them. Will they be able to survive then? For example, forests can support some number of deer but not more than the resources present. The same goes for the other species too,” said environmentalist Imran Siddiqui.

Smaller and underground animals

What about those that live underground and can't be spotted that easily? What about the reptiles, such as numerous species of snakes, that don’t live in the open but are as dependent on the forest area?

Snakes and other reptiles are a major part of the habitat in Kancha Gachibowli and uprooting the trees has displaced them too.

UOH documentation of wildlife species

There is a long list of birds that made both the UoH campus and the Kancha Gachibowli area their home. The Indian grey mongoose is also a part of the habitat, explained a senior professor.

According to the documentation done by the University of Hyderabad Herald, there are approximately 120 varieties of animals and birds on the campus and adjoining areas.

The document was initially published by the UoH in 2016, after the Wild Lens team, which organises Nature Walk in the city, found that there are spotted deer, wild boars, star tortoise, Indian rock python, vipers, cobras, boas and kraits in this habitat.

Will the Supreme Court order on felling of trees in heritage site be valid here?

Environmentalists are asking if the recent order of the Supreme Court on the felling of trees in the Taj Mahal area of Uttar Pradesh is applicable in the Kancha Gachibowli case too. Thousands of trees are being felled here. So, will the Telangana State government face the same fine or penalty for cutting down trees?

PIL in High Court

The Telangana government claimed that the 400 acres belonged to the State government. The Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited is planning to auction the land to develop a ‘Future City.' The Vata Foundation has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court, demanding that the court designate the area as a national park.

With the felling of trees, most of them will be displaced, and it is important they find a home safe from the raging bulldozers.