This is among the steps the CEC has suggested in its report to the apex court, which heard the case after it was taken up on suo motu basis on April 3
HYDERABAD: The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court has recommended that the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli land abutting the University of Hyderabad campus, be “declared as forest land with management entrusted to the forest department of Telangana.”
This is among the steps the CEC has suggested in its report to the apex court, which heard the case after it was taken up on suo motu basis on April 3. A second hearing was held on April 16, and the latest was on Thursday.
The committee said that the land parcel that had been cleared of vegetation – around 104.95 acres of the 400-acre plot – should be restored to its “original shape by raising a dense plantation of native tree and shrub species by the forest department” in the coming rainy season.
The CEC submitted to the court on Wednesday an addendum to the interim report it submitted to the court prior to the April 16 hearing.
In its latest report, the CEC said the Forest Survey of India was tasked with determining the nature of the vegetation, the canopy density among other aspects in the 409.12-acre land. Of this, the FSI found that 104.95 acres was cleared of natural vegetation. “A comparative assessment of the canopy classes in this cleared area, before and after vegetation removal, shows a complete transition of forest area to non-forest,” the report said.
The cleared area had very dense scrub forest, and of the 104.95 acres that was cleared, only 27.05 acres could be considered a non-forest area. Compared to forest densities for the state, at 1.44, the Kancha Gachibowli land showed it had higher values, at 7.08. Similarly, for a moderately dense forest, these figures stood at 7.95 and 31.89, and for open forest these numbers were 9.50 and 17.17 respectively.
“The comparative percentage of very dense forest, moderately dense forest, and open forest in the subject land prior to deforestation of part of subject land, are significantly higher than the corresponding averages for Telangana, and even more so when compared to Rangareddy district in which the subject land is located,” the report said.
The report said the Kancha Gachibowli land had more than 100 native tree species, free-ranging animals such as deer, peacocks, reptiles, and birds. It included water bodies, shrub cover and natural rock formations that make it the ecology of the land parcel complex. These features collectively contribute to a structurally diverse and ecologically resilient ecosystem.
The CEC said that Kancha Gachibowli land was rich in biodiversity, and that it “warrants the highest level of protection and careful consideration for classification as a deemed forest or conservation reserve.” It also said the ecological importance of this land parcel becomes significant as it is right in the middle of a thickly populated area, and one of the most important areas of Hyderabad.
The report said the Forest Survey of India incurred an expenditure of Rs 14.52 lakh which should be borne by the state government.
CEC recommendations
· Comprehensive ecological assessment to be conducted, by the Wildlife Institute of India or a similarly reputed institution.
· All the water bodies in the land shall be protected officially as wetlands.
· GHMC must close all sewage outlets flowing into UOH in 12 months, set up STPs outside the campus.
· Government must reconstitute expert committee to identify forest areas to include field forest officers, wildlife experts, ecologists, IT & remote sensing professionals, and survey agencies.
· Stricter parameters for identification of government land as deemed forest lands, compared to those adopted for private land, in line with the Doctrine of Public Trust and the state’s obligations under Articles 48A and 21 of the Constitution.
· Urban areas have smaller, fragmented green spaces interspersed with built infrastructure. This distinction must be taken into account in identification of deemed forest areas.
