In a move that has sparked outrage the Telangana government has unveiled a grand plan to build one of the world largest eco parks by taking over 2,000 acres at Kancha Gachibowli land that includes the University of Hyderabad campus. But what’s being called an ‘eco dream’ by the state feels like a green disaster to many on the ground.
Just weeks ago, 400 acres were marked for auction. But after protests and legal action, including intervention by the Supreme Court, the government didn’t back down it doubled down. The new plan? Remove UoH, shift it outside the city, and use the entire land for the park project.
Students and environmentalists are calling this a cover-up for the damage already done. Large patches of green have been cleared, trees cut, and the local ecosystem visibly disturbed. “How can you talk about building an eco park when you’re destroying one that already exists?” questioned UoH Students’ Union President Umesh Ambedkar.
Under the proposed plan, UoH would be shifted to a new “Future City” with only 100 acres allotted for the campus down from over 1,600 acres currently. Many see this as a land grab disguised as environmental development.
The state promises butterfly gardens, turtle parks, observatories, and walking trails. But on the ground, birds have flown away, soil has been disturbed, and biodiversity has taken a hit.
Experts may be called in from around the world, and a governing council may be formed but critics say none of this changes the fact that a living, breathing green zone is being lost in the process. For now, the fight continues not just for land, but for what the land stands for.