Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against the deforestation at Kancha Gachibowli, Telangana, but urged him to go beyond rhetoric and take firm action, alleging a massive financial scam by the Congress-led state government.
KTR expressed concern over the large-scale tree felling and alleged that the Revanth Reddy-led government had caused not only an environmental disaster across 100 acres but also committed a ₹10,000 crore financial fraud involving the mortgaging and sale of land in the area.
“I was heartened to hear your speech about the destruction of Kancha Gachibowli Forest by Telangana CM Revanth Reddy. However, I hope it’s not just lip service… The devastation in Kancha Gachibowli is not just a grave environmental catastrophe, destroying biodiversity across over 100 acres, but also a massive financial fraud perpetrated by Congress Govt,” KTR posted on X.
KTR further stated that letters have already been sent to central investigative agencies including the CVC, CBI, SFIO, SEBI, and RBI.
“We have already alerted… about the ₹10,000 crore financial fraud involving the mortgage of Kancha Gachibowli land,” he wrote.
KTR cited findings by the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee, which confirmed the presence of financial irregularities and called for a thorough central investigation.
“As our cities choke, environmental protection is paramount. Also equally important is exposing politicians like Revanth Reddy, who brazenly and shamelessly bulldoze the systems,” KTR added.
He challenged the BJP-led central government to demonstrate that it is not colluding with the Congress in Telangana and genuinely cares about the environment and public accountability.
The remarks come after PM Modi, during a rally in Hisar, Haryana on April 14, accused Congress governments of “destroying jungles through bulldozers” and causing environmental destruction. His statement was in reference to the tree felling in Telangana, which the Supreme Court had intervened in.
The apex court ordered that no further trees be cut in the 100-acre zone and directed the Wildlife Warden of Telangana to take immediate steps to protect the wildlife. The court even warned that officials involved could face temporary imprisonment on the very land where the deforestation occurred.
Meanwhile, students from the University of Hyderabad continue to protest, demanding that the disputed land be transferred to the university instead of being auctioned.