Bandi Sanjay, KTR accuse Telangana government of destroying environment

Hyderabad, April 1 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Bharat Rashtra Samithi Working President K. T. Rama Rao have alleged that the Telangana government is defying court orders and destroying the environment by bulldozing trees on 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli next to the University of Hyderabad. 

Rama Rao termed it ‘green murder’ and demanded that top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intervene.

BJP leader Bandi Sanjay claimed that the land is under litigation, and the High Court had asked the state government to file a counter by April 7.

He took to ‘X’ to slam the Congress government over the land issue amid the ongoing protest by student groups, environment activists, and opposition parties against the government’s decision to clear the land and auction it for the development of multi-use infrastructure and IT parks.

The Union Minister termed the land sale as peak opportunism by the Congress government. "400 acres planned for auction by the State govt fall under forest limits. Supreme Court clearly bars deforestation without Centre’s consent. The land is under HC litigation; Court ordered the govt to file a counter by April 7. Yet, the govt is defying the Court, bulldozing trees, and destroying the environment," he posted.

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress government is worse than the previous BRS government, as it is trying to grab thousands of crores through illegal deforestation and auction. “Didn’t Chief Minister himself once oppose such land sales? Future City for the rich, lathis for the future generations — is this the Congress model?' he asked.

Demanding that the government withdraw the auction decision immediately, he warned that people will teach it a lesson.

Meanwhile, K. T. Rama Rao has posted on his social media handles the photographs and videos of trees being bulldozed on the 400-acre area. "This is brazen green murder by destroying 400 acres of precious lung space in western Hyderabad. You can hear the peacocks crying for help as the bulldozers and JCBs of the Congress Govt rummage," he posted.

"If you don’t speak up now, it’s on you Mr Rahul Gandhi," added the BRS leader.