Kancha Gachibowli row: SC-appointed panel meets students, CS, DGP, and political figures

CEC inspects 400-acre land at Kancha Gachibowli near University of Hyderabad, meets stakeholders and government officials.

The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on Thursday began its inspection of 400-acre land at Kancha Gachibowli near the University of Hyderabad and later met different stakeholders and government officials.

The CEC began its two-day inspection of the 400-acre land at Kancha Gachibowli. Headed by Siddhant Das and comprising members C.P. Goyal and Sunil Limaye, the committee arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground and submit a detailed report to the apex court.

The committee inspected the 400-acre site and later met Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Director-General of Police (DGP) Jitender, forest department officials, political party representatives and student union members from the University of Hyderabad (UoH).

A delegation of faculty and student representatives from the University of Hyderabad (UoH) met with the committee on Thursday morning.

The meeting followed an email sent to the CEC three days ago, requesting an urgent hearing in light of recent tree-felling and potential harm to local wildlife. The five-member team included Umesh Ambedhkar, president of the UoH Student Union; Akash Kumar, vice president; Nihad Sulaiman, general secretary; Joseph Joby, Associate Professor in Medical Sciences; and S. Siddharthan, Associate Professor in Life Sciences.

The group submitted a 49-page survey documenting the rich biodiversity of the university campus. According to a report compiled by Dr. Joseph Joby and his team of researchers and student volunteers, the forest supported extraordinary biodiversity.

The delegation also demanded on-ground access to the site where the reported destruction took place, stating that only a direct visit could reveal the full extent of the damage — both to plant life and displaced or injured animals.