PIL against Kancha Gachibowli auction highlights habitat destruction for star tortoise

Indian star tortoise is a protected species under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Presence of Indian Star Tortoise on the land of proposed auction at Kancha Gachibowli is highlighted in the public interest litigation filed in the Telangana High Court challenging the move by the State government and the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC).

Indian star tortoise is a protected species under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which mandates not only protection of the species, but also its habitat, the petition filed by Vata Foundation, a voluntary organisation, said.

The star tortoise is listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List since 2016, indicating a declining population trend, and also included in the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) since 2019, thereby receiving the highest level of international protection against commercial trade, the petition mentioned.

Relating the history of the 400-acre land once allotted for the University of Hyderabad (UoH), the petition disputed the government order which alienated the land in favour of TGIIC at a price of ₹75 crore per acre.

Listing the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretaries of Environment & Forests, Revenue, Industries, and Information Technology, TGIIC, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Conservator of Forests, Hyderabad Circle, Ranga Reddy district collector, and Union Ministry of Environment & Forests as respondents, the petition has attached news reports and pictures portraying the biodiversity thriving on the land, as posted on the social media pages of Wild Lens, a group of wildlife photography enthusiasts from the UoH, among others, as proof.

Citing the forest clearance endeavour going on for the past few months, the petitioner called attention to the negative impact of the destruction of the green lung spaces on the city and Gachibowli in specific where construction activity is in full swing.

The NGO, represented by its founder Uday Krishna Peddireddi, prayed for directions to the respondents for declaration of the land in question as well as the adjoining land adding up to over 800 acres as national park in accordance with the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Further, the petition sought the alienation of the land in favour of TGIIC and the subsequent clearance of greenery declared arbitrary, illegal, unconstitutional, and in contravention of Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and for the government order, the Request for Proposals issued by TGIIC and all the consequent steps to be set aside. Further, it prayed for a direction for restoration of the land and preservation of the forest cover.