Questions mount over Centre’s silence on Kancha Gachibowli forest destruction

Legal experts, environmentalists, civil society accuse BJP government of double standards

Hyderabad: Despite nationwide outrage over the Congress government’s destruction of 100 acres of forest land in University of Hyderabad (UoH), the Centre has remained conspicuously silent, drawing sharp criticism from legal experts, environmentalists and civil society.

Over three days, the Revanth Reddy government reportedly deployed nearly 400 bulldozers to raze 100 acres of green cover adjacent to UoH in round-the-clock operations, triggering allegations of forest, wildlife and financial violations. The police lathi-charged students and cordoned off the campus for days while the government pushed through land transfers in alleged violation of due process.

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The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the Congress government’s demolition drive and issued stay orders on all illegal activities. The apex court has directed restoration of the damaged forest land and warned of possible jail terms for State officials, if its orders are not followed. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in its 69-page report to the Supreme Court, also flagged illegal land transfers, environmental violations and commercial exploitation.

However, central agencies like the ED, CBI, IT, and Ministry of Environment and Forests have shown no urgency. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself criticised the actions of the Revanth Reddy government, there has been no response from the Ministry of Education, the Environment and Forests Ministry or the Prime Minister’s Office. Though the MoEF asked for a factual report, no one knows what happened after that.

The silence is stark when compared to the Centre’s past urgency – dispatching teams for minor sand scams or investigating a Rs 10 lakh jewellery export in Surat. Even a viral video of a Rs 50 crore wolf-dog in Bengaluru led to an ED inquiry.

Critics accuse the Centre of double standards. “Is the BJP shielding the Congress government in Telangana for political convenience? What is stopping Delhi from acting in Kancha Gachibowli issue?” asks a political analyst. If fully prosecuted, legal experts estimate jail terms of up to 40 years for those involved.

Even local BJP leaders are baffled. “Why is Delhi quiet when our fight against the Congress government needs credibility here?” a BJP leader asked.