Government will reconsider auction of Kancha Gachibowli land, says Minister Sridhar Babu 

Government will reconsider auction of Kancha Gachibowli land, says Minister Sridhar Babu 

The Telangana government is reviewing its decision to auction 400 acres of land belonging to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) in Kancha Gachibowli, IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu informed the Assembly on Monday.

Responding to concerns raised during the discussion on Demands for Grants, Mr. Sridhar Babu, who also holds the Legislative Affairs portfolio, stated, “The government is also seriously interested in safeguarding the central university lands,”

AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, raising the issue in the Assembly, pointed out the strong opposition from the city youth and environmental activists, who fear the auction would lead to the destruction of two lakes and replace the green cover with a concrete jungle.

The environmentalists and wildlife conservationists, under the ‘Save City Forests Collective’ banner, have intensified their protests against the proposed auction by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC). They have urged citizens, policymakers, and environmental groups to oppose the sale of the land at Kancha Gachibowli, citing its ecological importance.

An online petition launched on Change.org on March 11 demanding the cancellation of the auction has gathered nearly 5,000 signatures within hours. The petition underscores that the area is a biodiverse forest habitat, home to migratory birds and wildlife, and not just another real estate development site. It warns that the sale could have severe environmental and climatic repercussions for Hyderabad.

Further, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed in the Telangana High Court, seeking to designate the 400-acre forest in Kancha Gachibowli as an ecologically sensitive zone.