Hyderabad eco-city push: CM Revanth Reddy launches Vanamahotsavam at Gurramguda
Synopsis
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy planted the first sapling at Gurramguda — 424 acres of forest land reclaimed through a Supreme Court battle that overturned decades of encroachment. Thursday's Vanamahotsavam was less a tree-planting ceremony and more a political and environmental milestone: the moment a legal victory became green infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
Revanth Reddy launched Vanamahotsavam at Gurramguda Eco Park , Hyderabad, on 18 June .
The Supreme Court declared 102 acres at Gurramguda as forest land in December 2025 , settling a decades-old dispute.
In March 2026 , the state notified 424 acres and 31 guntas as Reserve Forest under the Telangana Forest Act, 1967 .
Development works worth ₹17.84 crore were inaugurated at the Gurramguda site; an additional ₹17.66 crore in works launched virtually across 11 Telangana districts .
The area is to be developed into a large Urban Forest Park , the state's most significant urban greening project to date.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday, 18 June launched Vanamahotsavam — the state's annual tree plantation festival — at Gurramguda Eco Park near Hyderabad, reaffirming his government's mission to transform the city into an eco-friendly urban centre. The event coincided with the inauguration of development works worth ₹17.84 crore at the newly notified Gurramguda Reserve Forest.
The Gurramguda Forest: A Hard-Won Legal Victory
The Vanamahotsavam site carries significant legal and environmental history. In December 2025, the Supreme Court declared 102 acres of land at Gurramguda as forest land, allowing a civil appeal filed by the Telangana government in the long-pending Sahebnagar Kalan (Gurramguda Reserve Forest) case. The apex court set aside earlier orders from the forest settlement officer, the Rangareddy district court, and the Telangana High Court, settling a decades-old land dispute.
Subsequently, in March 2026, the state government — through the Environment, Forests, Science and Technology Department — formally notified 424 acres and 31 guntas of land at Gurramguda as Reserve Forest under Section 15 of the Telangana Forest Act, 1967. The state has since decided to develop the area into a large Urban Forest Park.
What the CM Said
Revanth Reddy, posting on X ahead of the event, described Thursday's launch as far more than a symbolic exercise. 'It is not merely a token gesture; it is the outcome of a resolve born from the memories of past destruction — a resolve pursued with unwavering determination,' he wrote.
He traced the origins of his commitment to the 2021 floods, when he visited the Gurramguda area as the Malkajgiri MP and witnessed first-hand the devastation caused by encroached lakes and usurped forest lands. 'This event stands as a testament to our efforts — undertaken since the people's government assumed office — to wage legal battles against encroachers, protect forest lands, and transform the city into a place where people live amidst nature,' he added.
Scale of Thursday's Inaugurations
Beyond the Gurramguda site, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy virtually inaugurated development works worth ₹17.66 crore across Telangana, covering urban parks, eco-parks, wildlife conservation, zoo modernisation, residential buildings, and environmental infrastructure. The works span districts including Nizamabad, Kothagudem, Hanumakonda, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Mulugu, Narayanpet, Bhupalpally, Sangareddy, Ranga Reddy, and Warangal.
Broader Urban Green Agenda
The Gurramguda initiative is part of a wider state push to restore stormwater drains and reclaim encroached land across Hyderabad. Notably, the city has historically been vulnerable to flash flooding at the slightest rainfall — a problem authorities attribute to the systematic encroachment of lakes and forest land in previous decades. This is the current administration's most visible green infrastructure push since taking office, and the Gurramguda Urban Forest Park is expected to serve as a model for similar urban greening projects across the state.
Point of View
Anchoring it in personal narrative from his Malkajgiri MP days. The harder question is whether ₹17.84 crore and a tree-planting ceremony translate into sustained stormwater management across a city that floods routinely. Hyderabad's encroachment problem is structural and multi-decadal; a single Urban Forest Park, however well-intentioned, does not reverse it. The real test will be whether the state follows through on the broader stormwater drain restoration programme it has promised, and whether the 11-district green infrastructure push is monitored for outcomes rather than inaugurations.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vanamahotsavam and why was it held at Gurramguda?
Vanamahotsavam is an annual tree plantation festival observed across Telangana. This year's launch was held at Gurramguda Eco Park because the site represents 424 acres of forest land recently reclaimed by the state through a Supreme Court ruling, making it symbolically significant for the government's urban greening agenda.
What did the Supreme Court rule about Gurramguda forest land?
In December 2025, the Supreme Court declared 102 acres at Gurramguda as forest land, allowing Telangana's civil appeal in the Sahebnagar Kalan (Gurramguda Reserve Forest) case. The court set aside orders from the forest settlement officer, the Rangareddy district court, and the Telangana High Court, resolving a decades-old land dispute.
How much is the state investing in the Gurramguda development?
The Telangana government is investing ₹17.84 crore in development works at the Gurramguda Reserve Forest site. An additional ₹17.66 crore in green infrastructure works — covering urban parks, eco-parks, wildlife conservation, and zoo modernisation — was virtually inaugurated across 11 districts of the state.
Why does CM Revanth Reddy consider the Gurramguda event personally significant?
Revanth Reddy has said the initiative was born from the anguish he felt while visiting Gurramguda as the Malkajgiri MP during the 2021 floods, when encroached lakes and forest land contributed to the city's devastation. He describes Thursday's launch as the practical realisation of a resolve formed at that time.
What is the plan for the Gurramguda Reserve Forest going forward?
The Telangana government has decided to develop the 424-acre Gurramguda Reserve Forest into a large Urban Forest Park. The state formally notified the land as Reserve Forest under Section 15 of the Telangana Forest Act, 1967, in March 2026, paving the way for the park's development.
