Hyderabad: BRS Working President KT Rama Rao has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show his commitment to protecting the environment. He asked the PM to order a quick investigation into the destruction of forest land in Kancha Gachibowli and a related financial scam worth Rs 10,000 crore in Telangana.
In a public message posted on social media platform X, KTR accused the Congress-led Telangana government, headed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, of being involved in a large-scale scam. He also challenged PM Modi to prove that there is no secret understanding or cooperation between the BJP and Congress in the state.
The issue involves the reported destruction of over 400 acres of forest land near the University of Hyderabad. KTR called it a major environmental disaster and a serious case of fraud. The forest area is home to animals like peacocks and deer, and it plays an important role in maintaining Hyderabad’s groundwater. Despite protests from students and environmental activists, and a Supreme Court order stopping any auction of the land, the area was allegedly cleared to make way for an IT park and other infrastructure.
KTR claimed that the Telangana government used this forest land, which has no proper legal ownership, as security to obtain a Rs 10,000 crore loan. He said this was done through middlemen and without getting necessary environmental or forest department approvals. “This isn’t just about losing trees and animals. It’s a big financial scam by the Congress government,” he said.
He also referred to a report by the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which found financial wrongdoing and recommended that national agencies like the CBI, RBI, SEBI, SFIO, and CVC investigate the matter. KTR said his party, BRS, has already submitted evidence to support the investigation.
KTR reminded PM Modi of his recent comments made in Haryana on April 14, where Modi spoke against deforestation in Telangana. KTR questioned whether those words were sincere or just political talk. He asked Modi to act quickly to show he truly cares about the environment and to clear up any doubts about a possible BJP-Congress alliance. “It’s time to show the people of Telangana that the BJP and Congress are not working together and that you care about protecting nature,” KTR said.
