Kancha Gachibowli Lands: A deep dive into history and dispute

The 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land, located in Hyderabad’s IT corridor, has become the center of a heated controversy.

What is controversy about Kancha Gachibowli lands?

The Telangana government’s decision to auction the land for industrial and IT development has sparked widespread protests, legal battles, and a fierce debate over ownership, ecological impact, and historical significance. As tensions mount, the land’s past reveals a complex narrative of allocation, revocation, and reclamation that continues to shape the dispute.

Historical background

The origins of the Kancha Gachibowli land dispute date back to the early 2000s during the tenure of then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

In 2003, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government allotted 400 acres in Survey No. 25 of Kanche Gachibowli, Serilingampally mandal, Ranga Reddy district, to IMG Academies Bharat Pvt Ltd, a private firm linked to Naidu’s associate Ahobila Rao (alias Billy Rao). The deal, which also included 450 acres in Mamidipally, was intended for sports infrastructure but quickly became controversial.

Critics, including the Congress party, alleged the company—registered just days before the agreement—had no expertise in sports and accused Naidu of favoritism, as the land was sold at an undervalued price.

The controversy deepened when the Congress government, led by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, took power in 2004. Declaring the allocation a misuse of public resources, the state revoked the deal in 2006 and transferred the land to the AP Youth Advancement, Tourism, and Culture Department due to non-utilization. IMG Academies challenged the cancellation in court, filing a writ petition (No. 24781/2006) in the Andhra Pradesh High Court. After nearly two decades of legal battles, the Telangana government—formed following the state’s bifurcation in 2014—secured a favorable ruling on March 7, 2024. The Supreme Court dismissed IMG’s subsequent Special Leave Petition (SLP No. 9265/2024) on May 3, 2024, affirming state ownership.

In June 2024, under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the land was officially transferred to the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) via GO Ms No. 54, with possession handed over on July 1. The TGIIC soon announced plans to auction the land for IT parks and multi-infrastructure projects, reigniting opposition.

The current controversy

The decision to auction the 400 acres has triggered a multifaceted dispute with several key points of contention:

1. Ownership Dispute

The Telangana government asserts exclusive ownership, backed by revenue records and court rulings, and denies any claim by the University of Hyderabad (UoH), which is adjacent to the parcel. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has insisted that “not an inch” of UoH land is involved, citing a joint survey with university officials on July 19, 2024, that fixed boundaries. However, UoH students and faculty argue the land is integral to their campus ecosystem, historically used for research and recreation. They accuse the government of encroaching on their territory without proper demarcation or consent.

2. Environmental Concerns

Environmentalists and wildlife activists, under groups like Save City Forest, oppose the auction, warning it threatens Hyderabad’s green cover. They claim the land hosts significant biodiversity, including medicinal plants, Schedule-I species like star tortoises, and diverse birdlife, akin to the KBR National Park. Critics argue that clearing the forested area violates the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 and the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, particularly since no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was conducted. The government counters that revenue records do not classify the land as forested and that development plans will preserve rock formations like Mushroom Rock, with no lakes (such as Buffalo or Peacock) within the 400 acres.

3. Protests and Police Action

Since late March 2025, UoH students, supported by groups like ABVP, SFI, and Osmania University peers, have staged mass protests, including dharnas and class boycotts, demanding the auction’s cancellation and the land’s designation as a national park. On March 30, tensions escalated when excavators began clearing vegetation, leading to the detention of 53 students and the arrest of two by Cyberabad police. Allegations of police brutality, including lathi charges and manhandling, have intensified the standoff, with students vowing to continue their agitation indefinitely.

4. Political Firestorm

The opposition, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has leveraged the issue to attack the Congress-led government. BRS leaders question the urgency of auctioning the land, while BJP’s G. Kishan Reddy has called for its preservation as a national park, citing its ecological and heritage value. The Congress government, in turn, accuses the opposition of orchestrating protests for political gain, with ministers alleging that “payment teams” are inciting students. The government defends the auction as a strategy to boost economic growth by attracting multinational firms.

Legal and future implications

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by retired scientist Kalapala Babu Rao is currently pending before the Telangana High Court. The PIL seeks to declare the land-clearing unlawful and calls for an expert committee to assess its forest status. The next hearing, set for April 7, 2025, could determine the project’s fate.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has ordered a report on the lands following a BJP delegation’s plea, signaling potential central intervention.

As bulldozers continue their work under heavy police deployment, the Kanche Gachibowli controversy encapsulates a broader struggle: development versus conservation, state authority versus public trust. For Hyderabad, a city already grappling with shrinking green spaces and rising pollution, the outcome will shape its environmental and urban future for years to come.