Hyderabad: Authorities have allegedly illegally parted with 15 acres of University of Hyderabad land worth hundreds of crores and spent public money to lay a road for residents of private housing societies. This has led to outrage among students who went to the spot and stoped the work. The row dates back to 15 years ago.
In 2004, the Ranga Reddy collector issued Proceeding No. Lc1/5763/2003 dated January 31, to resume 534.28 acres of the land. Of this, 400 acres was allotted to the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh to establish an international sports academy (IMG Bharata) and 134 acres to the AP NGOs Employees Housing Society. In lieu, UoH was given 397.16 acres in Survey No. 36 and 37 of Gopanpally.
This allotment was cancelled by the Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy government. The cancellation was challenged by Mr Billi Rao of IMG Bharata in the High Court.
In 2010, the AP Secretariat Employees Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Ltd, Hyderabad, Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd, Hyderabad, and Gopanpally Government Employees Mutually Aided Cooperative Apex House Building Society Ltd, wrote to the then Union minister of state for HRD D. Purandeswari, requesting another approach road to their property on payment basis from the land allotted to IMG Bharata.
Ms Purandeswari wrote to the UoH vice-chancellor on April 3, 2010, asking the request be considered.
Dr Syed E. Hasnain, the then Vice-Chancellor, replied on May 11, 2010, saying it could not be done because of the resentment in the employees in allotting university land to others.
The Executive Council of the University at its 150th meeting on November 11 that year resolved that any request for land use by any agency for private purposes be disallowed.
A year later, on October 11, 2011, the then deputy registrar of the university lodged a complaint with the Chandanagar police against encroachment of land by the TNGOs Housing Society.
Then, the university received letter from the secretary (COORD & PG), Cabinet Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhavan, through DO No. 511/2/1/2010-CA.III dated 21- 03-2011, that ministries/departments would seek specific approval of the Cabinet in each case of sale or long-term lease of land belonging to the government or government-controlled authorities.
The matter of handing over the land was placed as agenda item no. 13 in the 155th Executive Council meeting on March 30, 2012.
The meeting resolved that the University’s request for alienation of land in its favour should be approved by the state government before its request for taking back 10.23 acres for a 100-feet approach road from the ISB main road is accepted.
Despite all this, the university on January 24, 2013, issued a tender to build a WBM road around the inside compound wall ostensibly for patrolling, costing `1,12,84,000. This was actually meant for the use of residents of the neighbouring housing societies whose requests were being consistently rejected.
In the same tender notice, the university called for providing and fixing chain link fencing near ISB at a cost of `42,84,000. This is the place where the housing societies had encroached and the university had lodged a complaint with the Chandanagar police in 2011
It is alleged that the university faculty which was opposing land allotment to prestigious institutions like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) and University Grants Commission, was silent on the encroachment by housing societies.
Last week, the GHMC attempted to lay a road costing `10 crore for the housing societies which the students stopped. They also closed the approach road by placing heavy boulders. Students and activists are demanding a high-level inquiry and digital survey of the 2,300 acres given to the university to find out how much has been encroached.
