Today, On 13th August, In the Kancha Gachibowli case, the Supreme Court stressed that “environment must be protected & any destroyed forests restored,” warning against bulldozing forests in the name of development, while asking the state to submit a holistic, sustainable plan within six weeks.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court once again stressed that development projects must not harm the environment, warning that forests cannot be “bulldozed” in the name of progress.
The matter came up in relation to the Kancha Gachibowli area, where concerns had been raised over environmental damage.
The bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran heard the matter.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed the Court that all work in the area had been stopped and assured the bench there was no reason to worry.
He said, “all work has been halted”
And further explained that they are planning to prepare a wider proposal that will include not only forests but also lakes and other important environmental aspects.
Chief Justice of India told them to bring a strong and effective proposal.
The CJI said that,
“If it was satisfactory, the Court would withdraw all orders and commend them.”
Hearing this, Singhvi requested the bench to give them “six to eight weeks” to file this detailed proposal.
The CJI made it clear that,
“The environment must be protected and any destroyed forests must be restored.”
The bench stressed that their stand is not against development but that such development must be sustainable and backed with proper environmental safeguards.
In its order, the Court recorded the state’s statement that it is preparing “a holistic proposal to balance environmental and wildlife concerns with development.”
The Court said it welcomes this initiative and repeated that,
“It is not against development but insists it be sustainable with proper safeguards.”
The matter has now been listed for hearing after six weeks, by which time the state is expected to file its complete plan for protecting forests, lakes, and wildlife while allowing carefully regulated development.
Case Title: IN RE : KANCHA GACHIBOWLI FOREST, STATE OF TELANGANA SMW(C) No. 3/2025