Shrinking Numaish maidan irks K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: The state government is furious that the open space at the Exhibition Ground in Nampally is shrinking. The 26-acre ground, where the popular numaish is held every year, was given on 30-year lease to the Exhibition Society in 1956.

The society recently constructed a club against the wishes of the state government. 

Educational institutions, hostels and a few sheds were constructed earlier, bringing down the open space by six acres.

After inaugurating the numaish for the first time in January 2015, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had requested the society to protect the remaining open space. He even offered land at other locations to the society for educational and other purposes.

He had promised to hand over ownership rights on the leased land — a long pending demand — to the society within a week.

Despite his advice, the  society went ahead and constructed the club. The Chief Minister reportedly took a serious view of this.

Amid complaints against society members over misuse of land, he warned that the land lease would be cancelled but stepped back following a request made by society president and finance minister Etala Rajender.

Mr Rao has now dropped the plan of handing over property to the society fearing further misuse.

Mr Rajender said, “The reports of CM cancelling the lease are false. CM wants the lease to be extended to 99 years from 50 years. No decision has been taken on giving land ownership to the society.”

The original lease expired in 1986. No extension was given but the land continued to be in possession of the society till 2006. That year, the then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy issued orders extending the lease for 50 years with effect from 1986, which turned controversial.

Following this, he issued revised orders giving lease extension for 50 years with effect from 2002 till 2052.

The TS government now wants to revise these orders and give lease extension for 99 years, with a condition that the society should not take up any construction on the land during the period.

Other conditions to be imposed by the government include asking the society not to charge the government for programmes conducted at the Exhibition Ground. 

Secretaries of finance, industries and R&B departments are to be accommodated in the governing council of the society.