Outraged students call for action amid worrying developments at university: ‘It’s a tragedy’
Protesters in India are sounding the alarm about the worrying scale of development projects around Hyderabad Central University.
“We’re running out of time,” a Redditor recently titled their post on the r/hyderabad subreddit, sharing a photo of a recently cleared area around HCU filled with a fleet of excavators and police cars. According to the post, students at HCU have been protesting the development of the project for a while due to environmental concerns.
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit
“The auctioning of these critical areas, as discussed in the media, not only displaces vulnerable species but also raises alarms over the potential loss of invaluable biodiversity in [the] face of climate change,” they said.
The OP added that a recent protest on the site resulted in over 40 detainments. They appeared to be referring to a March protest near Mushroom Rock. Police said they took 52 protesters into preventive custody, according to The Times of India.
Other commenters on the thread shared in the Redditor’s outrage.
“Feeling so … helpless, what fools we have as our leaders,” one commenter said.
“It’s been a nightmare watching this happen in front of our eyes. It’s a tragedy,” the original poster replied.
While the major project around HCU seems to have gone through official channels, developing land can have widespread, devastating effects. When entire forests are wiped out for the sake of development — like in Hyderabad — it can displace local animal populations and throw off ecological balance.
In some instances, these animals’ displacement can have direct effects on local communities, as species scavenge for food in urban areas and adapt to living among humans. Not only does clearing natural land affect animals, but a study out of India has shown that green spaces can even save human lives over time.
The Redditor said that the development occurring around HCU is a particular slap in the face to the legacy of the institution.
“HCU has long been a symbol of intellectual growth, cultural diversity, and environmental responsibility,” they explained. “To jeopardize its lands in the name of urban development is to ignore the long-term consequences of such short-sighted actions.”
As commenters rallied behind the post to continue to fight against this development, the Redditor gave a crucial note for conserving the local region.
“Only through responsible planning and community-driven decision-making can we safeguard our planet and its future,” they concluded.
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