HCU Biodiversity Issue: Forest Ministry Demands Urgent Action from Telangana to Protect Wildlife

Apr 02, 2025, 16:46 IST

Hyderabad Central University students are furious that the Telangana government is destroying their beloved forest with JCBs. The students had abandoned classes and took to the streets to protest peacefully and to stop the government from cutting down on trees.

The 400 acres of land that's attached to the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) has been in talks for a proposed auction. The idea is to convert this biodiversity park into a possible IT hub. The High Court for the state of Telangana has now taken up the matter. We expect the legal dispute to continue.

Now, in what can be considered a warning sign for the Forestry Department of Telangana, the Central Environment Ministry has written a letter urging its Telangana counterpart to take action and prevent any sort of wildlife and vegetation from getting demolished.

From the letter, it's evident that a proper action report is being expected of the Telangana Forestry department over the alleged disturbance to the wildlife caused by cutting down trees and turning the plush green lands into a barren desert.

Professors had also joined the protest, not just students. Earlier today, the police made a lathicharge on students who were protesting, and the violence ensued one more time within a gap of a few hours.

Actually, the HCU dispute is decades old. The university claims that the 400 acres are part of the 2,325 acres allotted to it in 1975. However, in 2022, the High Court declared the absence of any legal document confirming the land's transfer to the university. Even the Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision.

But students and environmentalists argue that the 400 acres of land is an economically sensitive zone, and it is home to 455 different species of flora and fauna. Vata foundation activists have filed a petition demanding that this land be declared a national park under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and this land be also granted a 'deemed forest' status.

The Telangana government has yet to respond to the students' protests, and the land is being demolished quickly.