Have you ever wondered what ₹10,000 crore sounds like? No, it’s not the sound of prosperity, nor the ringing of cash registers boosting the economy. It’s the sound of centuries-old trees crashing to the ground, peacocks wailing as their habitat is ripped apart, and the relentless roar of bulldozers tearing through the last remnants of a once-thriving forest.
This is not a Telugu KGF movie but may inspire some directors to film it. This is reality. This is Kancha Gachibowli Forest, Hyderabad, where development has come at the cost of annihilation. In just two nights, a forest that took centuries to grow was erased with swift and calculated precision. All for a price tag of ₹10,000 crore.
Clearing a vast, self-sustaining forest is no small feat. It takes dedicated manpower, relentless focus, and an unwavering commitment to ignore environmental laws and public outcry. It requires an administration so focused on ‘progress’ that it can drown out the voices of those who dare to question their actions. It takes law enforcement that will stand not to protect nature or its people, but to silence them.
The students who dared to raise their voices were not hailed as defenders of the environment but branded criminals, booked under various legal acts to ensure they never commit the ‘crime’ of stopping state machinery again. Their offense? Trying to protect a forest that should have been protected by those in power.
Kancha Gachibowli Forest wasn’t just a patch of green—it was a thriving ecosystem, home to over 233 bird species, including Telangana’s state bird, the Indian Roller. It sheltered rare butterflies, unique spiders like the Murricia hyderabadensis, and countless other species that now have nowhere to go.
The trees, some over a hundred years old, played a crucial role in maintaining Hyderabad’s microclimate, keeping temperatures in check, and preventing soil erosion. But what do these facts matter when there are profits to be made and election campaigns to be funded?
A System That Works Against Its Own People
Protests erupted as students, environmentalists, and local residents tried to stop the destruction. They held banners, chanted slogans, and stood in front of bulldozers, hoping for a miracle. Instead, they faced police batons, detentions, and legal cases.
The irony? The government, which claims to be committed to sustainability, has promised to plant new saplings to compensate for the loss. But here’s the catch—it takes decades for a sapling to grow into a tree, and even longer for an ecosystem to recover. But who has that kind of time? Certainly not those eyeing short-term political and financial gains.
When Money Becomes More Important Than Nature
The reason behind this massive destruction is simple—real estate, infrastructure, and revenue. The land where a thriving forest once stood will soon be transformed into high-rise apartments, IT parks, and commercial spaces, all under the banner of ‘urban development.’ The government argues that such projects will bring jobs and boost the economy, but at what cost?
Will these developments compensate for the rising temperatures, loss of biodiversity, increased pollution, and water scarcity that Hyderabad is bound to face in the coming years? Will they restore what has been lost, or will they simply lead to more problems disguised as progress?
Every fallen tree, every displaced animal, and every silenced protestor tells us a grim truth—we are losing the battle against greed. Forests are not just a collection of trees; they are living, breathing ecosystems that sustain life.Destroying them for profit is not just an environmental crime; it is a betrayal of future generations.
If you are reading this, ask yourself—is this the kind of progress we want? A city where green spaces are replaced with concrete, where temperatures rise uncontrollably, and where nature has no place?
We still have time to make a difference, but only if we act now.
Update as of 02-04-2025 the HC has put a stay on all machineries and culling of forest until 03-04-2025 when the hearing will start.
📢 Join the movement. Raise your voice. Save Kancha Gachibowli Forest.
