Kancha Gachibowli: Supreme Court’s empowered committee begins inspection in Hyderabad

The CEC, led by Siddhant Das and including members CP Goyal, Sunil Limaye, and JR Bhatt, arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening and began its field inspection of the 400-acre site near the University of Hyderabad on Thursday. Senior officials joined the committee during the site visit.

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) began its two-day inspection of the controversial Kancha Gachibowli lands on Thursday, amid mounting concerns over large-scale environmental violations. They will hold consultations with the officials, student groups, NGOs and other stakeholders during their visit.

Arriving in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening, the CEC, headed by Siddhant Das and comprising members CP Goyal, Sunil Limaye, and JR Bhatt – commenced its field inspection of the 400-acre site near the University of Hyderabad on Thursday. Senior officials accompanied the committee members during the field visit.

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The inspection follows strong observations by the apex court over the alleged unauthorised felling of trees and destruction of vast green cover in the name of development.

The Supreme Court took a suo moto cognisance of the Congress government’s actions following media reports, and directed the CEC to assess the ground situation and submit a detailed report. The committee, which is staying at Taj Krishna Hotel, is operating directly under the apex court’s jurisdiction.

Later in the day, the panel is scheduled to meet senior government officials including Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari at 2 PM. On Friday, it will hear representations from NGOs, student groups, and other stakeholders who have flagged environmental violations at the site.

As per directions of the Supreme Court, the committee will submit its report before April 16, which is expected to play a key role in determining the fate of the Kancha Gachibowli land.