Telangana HC halts Kancha Gachibowli project amid environmental concerns

The Telangana High Court has issued an interim stay on development activities over 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, near Hyderabad Central University, following petitions filed by students and the environmental NGO, Vata Foundation. The court's order will remain in effect until the next hearing on Thursday.

During the hearing, Advocate General Sudershan Reddy defended the government’s decision, stating that the land was initially allotted to IMG Academy in 2004 but was reclaimed after the company failed to fulfil its usage obligations. He clarified that the site is not designated as forest land, citing the presence of high-rise buildings and helipads on adjacent



university lands as evidence.

Reddy also dismissed claims about the area's ecological sensitivity, arguing that the presence of wildlife, such as snakes and peacocks, does not automatically qualify a region as protected forest land.

A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul has directed the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation to halt all work until the next hearing, where the court will examine whether the land should be granted "deemed forest" status, as sought by the petitioners.

The government has informed the court that there will be no bulldozer action until the next hearing, that is tomorrow.