20 hours Ago By Moneycontrol
In a big blow to the Revanth Reddy government in Telangana, the Supreme Court in an interim order on Thursday stayed the felling of trees in Kancha Gachibowli forest area near the University of Hyderabad campus. A bench of the court comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih directed the Registrar of the Telangana High Court to inspect the site and submit a report today by 3.30 pm, according to Live Law website.
The court has also directed the Chief Secretary of the state to ensure no felling takes place till further orders. The matter will be heard at 3.45 pm today.
"Newspapers depict that vast deforestation is being undertaken in the Kancha Gachibowli forest. It shows that large number of trees are being fell. The news items show that taking advantage of long holidays over the weekend , the authorities have rushed to felling the trees.
It is further reported that the forest area is house to 8 types of scheduled animals," the court observed in its order, according to Live Law. On Wednesday, the Telangana High Court had issued an interim stay on development activities over 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli following petitions filed by students and the environmental NGO, Vata Foundation. Satellite imagery shows rapid clearing of Kancha Gachibowli forest As students of University of Hyderabad protest against the state government over the Kancha Gachibowli land, satellite images from March 28 and April 2 show rapid clearing of forested land in just a few days.
20 Hyderabad university students injured in lathicharge The Hyderabad police resorted to a lathicharge on Wednesday to disperse the students as the protest at the University of Hyderabad over the Kancha Gachibowli issue intensified, leaving at least 20 students injured. The university’s teachers association and the Joint Action Committee led the protests, which escalated throughout the week. On Tuesday, the Teachers Association called for an indefinite protest on campus, prompting hundreds of students and faculty to gather at the Ambedkar Auditorium starting Wednesday.
Students and faculty staged a protest inside the campus, chanting slogans ‘police go back’ against the police and the government and condemning the decision to clear the 400-acre green cover at Kancha Gachibowli. The UoH students' union continued to demand several key actions which include the immediate withdrawal of police and JCB machines from the campus, and a written assurance from the university administration that the campus land will be registered under the university’s name. The union has also demanded the release of details from the executive committee meeting, and transparency regarding land-related documents.
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