Hyderabad University students, activists cheer SC’s stay order on tree felling on forest land

HYDERABAD: A wave of relief washed over the hundreds of students and activists protesting the state govt’s decision to auction 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli village, after reports came in that the Supreme Court had issued a stay order on the felling of trees on the land on Thursday.
As news of the development came in, students erupted in joy, gathering in groups to celebrate the SC order. The students danced to the beat of drums as they turned their protest site into a scene of triumph.

The students, who were on a relay hunger strike on the university campus since March 31 demanding an immediate halt to deforestation in the area, called off their protest late in the evening on Thursday. Earlier in the day, a crowd of nearly 200 protesters continued their relay hunger strike braving torrential rain.
After the Supreme Court took up the issue, the High Court registrar was directed to visit the site, accompanied by a few officials from the UoH, to assess the extent of the damage to the tree cover.
“This is a crucial victory, but our fight is far from over,” said Nihad Sulaiman, a member of the UoH Students’ Union. “The stay order gives us hope, but we will keep following up until the land auction is revoked entirely,” he said.
“The govt cannot prioritise development at the cost of the environment,” said Bishnu J, another student protester. “With renewed energy, we plan to continue our demonstrations online, ensuring that this victory is not temporary.”
The protests drew support from environmental activists, local residents, and faculty members, all of whom argued that deforestation in Kancha Gachibowli would have disastrous ecological consequences. The area is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including peacocks and other wildlife that were severely affected by the tree felling, they claimed.
“We heard the peacocks and other animals screaming late in the night when the bulldozers began their rampage,” said Rajan Kumar, a second-year student protester, who recorded a video, capturing distressing scenes of peacocks and other birds screeching.
Turn it into national park, says environmentalist
“In the past four days, about 100 acres of land was already cleared. After the matter is legally settled, the focus should be on reviving the lost trees and biodiversity and turning it into a national park, like KBR, so the animals can find their home again,” said Uday Krishna, founder of Vata Foundation, who filed one of the two PILs in the HC regarding the issue.
“We need to preserve it for the future generation and for the animals like deer, peacocks, tortoises, snakes, birds, and more who consider that jungle their home,” said scientist K Babu Rao, another petitioner in the case.
Meanwhile, following the Supreme Court’s stay order on the Kancha Gachibowli lands, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Industries minister D Sridhar Babu said the state govt would abide by the apex court’s orders.
In a joint statement, the ministers said the state govt would submit the required information sought by the SC within the stipulated time. “The state govt has full faith in the Supreme Court. Justice will prevail,” they added.
Officials, including the additional DGP (Intelligence) and Cyberabad commissioners, have been instructed not to act harshly against protesting students.