Supreme Court-appointed CEC flags suspected ‘piecemealing’ by TGIIC to evade environmental norms

As per the CEC's observations during a recent site inspection, TGIIC sought Consent for Establishment (CFE) from the Telangana Pollution Control Board for only 122.63 acres out of the total 400-acre land parcel. The committee suspected this was a deliberate attempt to bypass a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Hyderabad: More skeletons continue to tumble out of the cupboard in the Kancha Gachibowli land controversy. Questions are being raised over violation of numerous laws, in the wake of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) raising serious concerns over the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation’s (TGIIC) alleged attempt to bypass mandatory environmental clearances by fragmenting the project.

According to CEC observations during a recent site inspection, TGIIC applied for Consent for Establishment (CFE) from the Telangana Pollution Control Board for just 122.63 acres of the total 400-acre land parcel. The CEC suspected that it was a deliberate move, aimed at avoiding a full-scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

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As per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, any project spread across 123 acres or more, or involving an investment of Rs 50 crore and above, qualifies as a Category A project—thus mandating a comprehensive EIA. By staying just below that threshold, the state agency appears to have sidestepped the requirement entirely.

“This not only violates statutory requirements but also defeats the purpose of environmental due diligence, especially in such an ecologically sensitive zone,” the CEC remarked. It termed the act of fragmenting or underreporting the project area, commonly referred to as piecemealing, as a practice consistently disapproved by the Supreme Court. The committee has called for an immediate investigation and legal action.

Amid these circumstances, the committee questioned why TGIIC sought approvals for only a portion of the land, when the entire 400 acres had been mortgaged and designated for an IT park project. “If the project was over the full parcel, why seek CFE for only 122 acres on January 30?” it asked.

The timing has also raised eyebrows. When the issue first came to light, TGIIC had claimed it would conduct a full EIA. But the sudden backtracking has sparked fresh doubts over the real intentions. Environmentalists and legal experts are now demanding to know, who stands to benefit from this strategy and why was the government attempting to dodge environmental scrutiny.

With the CEC’s strong observations and demand for legal proceedings, the spotlight is once again on what appears to be a carefully crafted move to facilitate large-scale development without accountability.

Several netizens have also raised these questions citing the CEC report.

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⁰Why did TGIIC seek approval for just 122 acres out of a 400-acre #KanchaGachibowli project?

Is it because any project over 123 acres requires an Environmental Clearance & by applying for just 122 acres, govt avoids the need to submit detailed Environmental Impact… pic.twitter.com/JwzMCTDnR1

— Nayini Anurag Reddy (@NAR_Handle) April 17, 2025