CM K Chandrasekhar Rao to go ahead with Osmania University housing proposal
KCR refuses to bow to students pressure
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-05-20 05:49 GMT
Hyderabad: Brushing aside criticism by Opposition leaders and burning of effigies by student organisations over the government’s proposed move of taking back surplus lands available with city universities for constructing double bedroom houses for the poor, Chief Minister Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao said on Tuesday that he would not back down.
Continuing his participation in the Swachh Hyderabad programme for the fourth day, the chief minister visited Bowddha Nagar area in Secunderabad and interacted with the locals. Alluding to the criticism against him and the continuing agitations by students of Osmania University, Mr Rao said, “When I take up a work, I am not one to leave the issue and go for another; I am a stubborn man, I will strive to achieve the goal in the manner I want, I will not bow to pressures or agitations, I will see that all surplus lands of universities are taken back to allow construction of double bedroom houses for all the poor in the city.”
The CM said that during his recent visits to several localities in the city, he had found that basic infrastructure was lacking in these areas all these years. “The government’s responsibility is to construct houses for the poor; hospitals, markets need to be built, colleges and other amenities have to be provided. To do all these, government requires land. Everyone should know that land won't fall from the sky. We have to adjust available land for all our needs. When I wanted to construct houses for the poor, some people started burning my effigies, opposition leaders are supporting such persons. That means they are not for houses for poor, they want the poor to remain poor forever, I cannot tolerate such petty politics. I am telling you all now, I will not go back on my decision of acquiring surplus lands from universities when they have large chunks of open and unused lands, come what may,” Mr Rao said.
He told the gathering that even Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi had agreed to his argument that the proposed Horticulture University by the Central Government did not require 500 acre and that just 50 acre would be sufficient. “This isn’t the regime of kings and maharajas, we have to make use of every inch of land available for the needs of people. My critics should know how golf, race course clubs and clubs just for playing cards got hundreds of acres of land in the city, are they above the poor?” he asked.