KT Rama Rao accused the Congress-led government of prioritising real estate interests over public good.
Published Apr 03, 2025 | 2:42 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 03, 2025 | 2:42 PM
KTR pens open letter to protect Kancha Gachibowli and HCU
Synopsis: Lauding the students protesting against the take over of the land, KTR said the BRS will take back the land — even if it is a single inch — from those buying the property, now being cleared.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Thursday, 3 April, issued a warning to the potential buyers of the disputed land at Kancha Gachibowli, saying his party would take it back on returning to power.
Addressing a news conference in Telangana’s capital city, KTR lauded the students of the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) for waging a battle against attempts to take over the institution’s land.
“I salute the fighting spirit of HCU students. Their struggle is reminiscent of the Telangana movement,” KTR said.
The BRS leader issued an “advance warning” to the potential buyers of the land. “This is not a political fight. This is a fight for the future of Hyderabad,” he said.
“If you buy even an inch, we will take it back. Don’t cry foul that there is a sudden policy change. We are informing you three years in advance,” he said.
The news conference came in the wake of growing unrest over alleged illegal land clearing in Kancha Gachibowli, which drew criticism from environmentalists, student activists, and political leaders.
KTR termed the issue a larger battle for Hyderabad’s future, accusing the Congress-led government of prioritising real estate interests over the public good.
Launching a broadside against the A Revanth Reddy government in Telangana, KTR said dispensation with democratic values would have approached the students for a peaceful dialogue.
An aerial view of Central Park, the first landscaped park in the US. (Wikimedia Commons)
“However, the chief minister is calling the students foxes, another minister is calling them a ‘paid batch’, and the deputy chief minister is discrediting the images of the destruction as AI-generated,” he said.
KTR reminded Revanth Reddy that the government was a custodian, not the owner. “You’re a mere trustee. You cannot do as you wish instead of protecting the land.”
He also questioned the government for initiating the clearance of vegetation on the disputed land during court holidays after seeking 10 days to file a counter in a public interest litigation hearing at the high court.
“Why start the destruction during court holidays,” he questioned. “A lot of students at HCU are not even from Telangana. Yet, they are fighting out of love for the city. Do you have at least 1% of that love?” he asked the chief minister.
He promised to create a Manhattan Central Park-like Eco Park in Hyderabad once the BRS returned to power. “We must ensure that we don’t turn into another Delhi,” he warned.
“We want to join the students. However, Congress is painting the entire protest as a political one when we lend support. But it is high time we joined them if the government does not back down,” he stated.
The BRS leader said the party had always stood for the environment. “We have a track record of consistently increasing the forest cover in the state. We even won the Green City Award in 2022,” he added.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said the BRS had arranged for him a police escort when the Congress leader visited Hyderabad during the protest over the death of Rohith Vemula.
“This is not Mohabbat ki Dukaan (shop of love.) Telangana has turned into a nafrat ka makaan (house of hate),” he said. “This government does not even respect the courts,” he alleged.
KTR further accused the government of trying to destroy all the vegetation before the high court’s next hearing on 7 April.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered the Telangana High Court’s Registrar (Judicial) to conduct a site visit and submit an interim report on the felling of trees in Hyderabad’s Kanche Gachibowli.
The matter was also listed before a bench in the Telangana High Court today. The Union Environment Ministry has also written to the Additional Secretary (Forests) regarding the ‘illegal’ clearing of acres in Kancha Gachibowli.
“This is to inform you that the Ministry has come to know about the illegal felling and removal of vegetation in Kancha Gachibowli Village,” the letter read.
It made three demands to the Telangana government:
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
