‘Listen to students’: Congress steps in to calm Kancha Gachibowli chaos, cautious Revanth Reddy

Facing heat over tree felling at Kancha Gachibowli forest in Hyderabad to build IT parks, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of party affairs in Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan has asked the Revanth Reddy to hold talks with all stakeholders, including students, affected with the developments. AICC in charge has also asked the Telangana government to listen to the students’ projections and wait for the Supreme Court ruling.

After the AICC direction, a team of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, both alumni of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), and state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy have been tasked to hold discussions with the university executive committee, civil society groups and others.

The committee members also met Meenakshi Natarajan over the issue.

“She [Meenakshi Natarajan] said the government should also listen to their (students and others) objections. And wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling on the land issue too. We will hold consultations with all stakeholders and we should give patient hearing,” a senior Congress leader told PTI.

Natarajan is expected to meet some civil society groups also on the issue.

The Congress leader said the Kancha Gachibowli land belongs to the state government and the present dispensation fought in the courts and retained it. UoH sources told PTI that some student groups and some employees of the varsity are likely to meet Meenakshi Natarajan on Sunday.

When contacted, UoH Students’ Union President Umesh Ambedkar said there has been no official invitation from the committee of ministers for talks.

The Kancha Gachibowli issue

The Telangana government’s proposal to develop 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli for IT infrastructure has triggered protests from the University of Hyderabad Students’ Union. The issue is currently under review in both the Telangana High Court and the Supreme Court.

The protesting students argue that the 400-acre stretch rightfully belongs to the university, while the state government maintains it owns the land and had allotted a nearly equivalent area to the University of Hyderabad near its campus as a replacement for the Kancha Gachibowli land long ago.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that the Telangana government is planning to drop the IT park project and instead develop an eco park across the entire 2,000-acre stretch, according to the reports. The plan also involves the relocation of the university campus to some other place.