Supreme Court Seeks Restoration Plan for Kancha Gachibowli Forest in Telangana

Context:

The Supreme Court directed the Telangana government to submit a concrete proposal for restoring the degraded Kancha Gachibowli forest, which was cleared for an IT project, as a condition for removing adverse remarks against the State.

Case Background

Over 100 acres of the Kancha Gachibowli forest, adjacent to the University of Hyderabad, were cleared for an IT infrastructure project.
This sparked protests from environmental groups and concerns regarding violation of forest conservation norms.

Supreme Court’s Position

Chief Justice of India emphasised balancing development with environmental protection.
Directed Telangana to restore the forest area through replantation measures.
Court warned earlier (May 2025) that failure to restore would lead to imprisonment of the Chief Secretary and senior officials.
Linked compliance with removal of prior adverse observations by the court.

Legal and Environmental Significance

Forest Conservation Act, 1980 – Regulates diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes and requires prior approval from the Central Government.
Environment Protection Act, 1986 – Provides a framework for protecting and improving the quality of the environment.
Supreme Court Order of March 4, 2025 – Barred any activity leading to depletion of forest cover across India.
Restoration of forest land is consistent with the principle of sustainable development and public trust doctrine.

Kancha Gachibowli Forest

Location & Ecology

One of Hyderabad’s last remaining urban forests; located near Gachibowli IT corridor and University of Hyderabad.
Part of Deccan scrub forest ecosystem – ecologically significant but under-protected.
Borders Gopanpally Reserve Forest and near Osman Sagar lake catchment – key ecological buffers for the city.

Biodiversity

Flora: 730+ flowering plant species; dominated by neem, banyan, palash, jamun.
Fauna:
- Mammals: spotted deer, wild boars, porcupines.
- Reptiles: monitor lizards, snakes, Indian star tortoise.
- Birds: 220+ species; supports pollinators.
- Unique species: Hyderabad tree trunk spider – endemic, found nowhere else.
Geology: 2.5-billion-year-old Mushroom Rock formation.