Tension prevailed at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus after the Telangana police detained several students and research scholars during protests against the government’s proposal to auction 400 acres of forested land abutting the campus at Kancha Gachibowli in the city.
The police detained over 50 protestors under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Their arrest sparked further outrage, with the Students’ Union urging unity and caution and assuring students that a course of action would be decided after consulting stakeholders.
Despite Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s assurances, the protesting students argue that the land auction threatens ecology and their campus. The government deployed excavators and heavy equipment over the weekend to clear and level the land. While students have been demanding that the government should preserve the land as a lung space and claiming it belongs to UoH, the government has asserted its ownership.
Students have been insisting that the piece of land contains lakes and houses many animals, and that government action would disturb the biodiversity.
"Muzzling of opposition voices, suppressing students, chopping off trees, destroying green cover and biodiversity, and sacrificing Hyderabad's ecology for funds—that's the merciless Congress government in Telangana. The Congress government's brazen auctioning of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli is recklessly obliterating the rich flora and fauna of the region. The voices of students are being brutally silenced while institutes of eminence like HCU are being encroached upon. I strongly condemn the reckless action of the Congress government in Telangana," said senior BJP leader and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.
No confusion about land ownership
An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) asserted that the 400 acres of land in question belonged to the government and that the UoH did not possess any land in the project area.
The government has legally proven its ownership of the land in court. The government acquired the land, which was allotted to a private company 21 years ago, through a legal battle. Development works and auction of the land will not affect the ecosystem, including rocks, and no lake exists in the land allotted for development, the statement said.
According to the statement, in 2004, the then-undivided Andhra Pradesh government allotted the 400-acre parcel in Kancha Gachibowli to IMG Bharata Academies India Pvt Ltd for the development of sports infrastructure. However, in 2006, the government revoked the allotment and transferred the land to the AP Youth Advancement, Tourism, and Culture Department due to its non-utilisation.
Following this, IMG Bharata Academies filed a writ petition in the High Court. After a prolonged legal battle, the Telangana government secured a favourable verdict on 7 March, 2024. IMG Academies then challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court but the petition was dismissed on 3 May, 2024, confirming the government’s ownership of the land.
The revenue authorities subsequently certified the land as government property and recommended its protection for future development. The Telangana government, under its new land allotment policy formally handed over the land to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on 24 June, 2024.
On 4 July, 2024, TGIIC formally reached out to the University of Hyderabad Registrar to assist in boundary demarcation. A joint survey conducted by university and revenue officials on 19 July, 2024, confirmed that no part of the 400-acre parcel belonged to the university.
Addressing environmental concerns, the statement clarified that there were no lakes, such as Buffalo Lake or Peacock Lake, within the designated development zone, contrary to some media reports. TGIIC also pledged to preserve mushroom rocks and other natural rock formations as green spaces within the project layout. A comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is being prepared to ensure sustainable development.
TGIIC reiterated that no university land or water bodies would be affected by the project. To proceed with the development, the corporation issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on 28 February, 2025, aiming to optimise land use in accordance with the master plan.
The project is expected to create world-class IT infrastructure, enhance connectivity, and develop urban spaces. However, the statement also accused certain politicians and real estate players of misleading students with false claims to serve their vested interests and obstruct the project.
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