Kancha Gachibowli Tree Felling: A Chronology of Events

Kancha Gachibowli tree felling refers to the large-scale and rapid felling of trees in a 400-acre land parcel near the University of Hyderabad in Kancha Gachibowli, Telangana. This incident has raised significant environmental concerns and attracted the attention of the Supreme Court of India.

Here's a chronological overview of the events:

• Prior to March 2025: The 400-acre land in Kancha Gachibowli was considered to have characteristics of a forest. It was reportedly assigned to the University of Hyderabad under a conditional Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), implying its original purpose was for educational use. The area was known to be a habitat for various plant and animal species, including eight scheduled animal species.
• March 24, 2025: A significant development occurred with the registration of a $10,000 crore mortgage deed for the land with a private party. This raised questions about the land's ownership and intended use.
• Late March 2025 (around March 27 onwards): Large-scale tree felling activities began in the Kancha Gachibowli area. Reports indicated that heavy machinery like bulldozers were deployed, and the clearing was carried out rapidly, particularly over a long holiday weekend. This raised suspicions of a deliberate effort to bypass legal scrutiny and forest identification processes.
• April 2, 2025: Media reports surfaced highlighting the ongoing deforestation, with concerns about the lack of permission from forest authorities or local municipalities. There was ambiguity initially from forest officials about whether the land fell under their jurisdiction.
• April 3, 2025: The Supreme Court of India took suo motu (on its own motion) cognizance of the deforestation activities.
  • The Court noted newspaper reports depicting "vast deforestation" and "alarming pictures" of trees being felled and machinery deployed.
  • The Supreme Court directed the Registrar (Judicial) of the Telangana High Court to visit the site and submit an interim report.
  • Crucially, the SC directed the Chief Secretary of Telangana to ensure that no further tree felling is permitted in the Kancha Gachibowli forest area until further orders.
• April 4, 2025: Ground reports from the site showed that a large area had been denuded, confirming the extent of the damage.
• April 16, 2025: The Supreme Court heard the matter again.
  • The interim report from the Telangana High Court Registrar (Judicial) confirmed the destruction of a significant number of trees over approximately 100 acres.
  • The Supreme Court expressed strong displeasure with the Telangana government, questioning the "compelling urgency" and "tearing hurry" in carrying out the deforestation, especially during a holiday weekend.
  • The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) was also directed to visit the site and submit its findings.
  • The SC emphasized its commitment to environmental protection and warned Telangana authorities against justifying the deforestation. It suggested that state officials responsible could face "temporary imprisonment" if the forest was not restored
  • The Court also directed the Wildlife Warden of Telangana to examine and take immediate steps to protect the affected wildlife.
• April 17, 2025: The CEC submitted its interim report, stating that the 400 acres likely belonged to the University of Hyderabad and criticized the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) for unauthorized tree felling. The CEC noted that 125 non-exempted trees were found to have been felled on April 3, leading to a case and seizures. The report suggested that the TGIIC had attempted to bypass environmental clearance. It was estimated that over 1,500 trees were uprooted in total, with TGIIC claiming 1,399 were "exempted" species.
• May 15, 2025: The Supreme Court continued to hear the matter, reiterating its stance on environmental restoration and warning the Telangana government to either restore the forest or face contempt proceedings and potential imprisonment for senior officials. The Court specifically questioned why the felling was carried out in a "rush" over a long holiday weekend and whether proper environmental clearances were obtained. The case was listed for the next hearing on July 23, 2025.

In essence, the Kancha Gachibowli tree felling is a contentious issue involving the alleged illegal felling of a large number of trees for a proposed development project, raising serious environmental and legal concerns, and prompting strong intervention from the Supreme Court of India.