They condemned the government’s refusal to halt the destruction of the forest by bulldozers despite their detailed representation on the issue to the government on Tuesday.
“We feel guilty over the felling of big trees and want the government to stop the destruction of the environment. There are no land disputes and we are only asking the government to protect the ecosystem of the university. Felling trees for developing IT infrastructure is not development,” Haragopal said.
Regarding the land issue, they said that the university was established through the six-point formula accord with the intervention of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, which was also given Constitutional status through the 32nd Amendment. An allocation of 2,300 acres was made by the state government and a compound wall was constructed around the entire area.
‘Entire area an integral part of the university’
Due to the oversight on part of the university, this was not converted into a legal title on paper — but the entire area has been an integral part of the university. While the government may have ownership on paper, the students and citizens who have been using the area have a legitimate interest in preserving the area.
In fact, the land which remained with the university is the main reason that the forest with rich biodiversity grew there. They said that the citizens’ groups will continue to campaign on this issue, along with the students and faculty of the university.
“Already some of us have filed cases in the high court seeking a stop to the destruction. The campaign is also taking the issue to the national level, to force the state government to withdraw from its present course of action,” they said.