Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing Kancha Gachibowli land issue, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha on Wednesday, April 2, slammed the Telangana government for its “anti-environment” approach.
“Congress shields the rich, targets and weakens the poor,” Kavitha remarked, adding that the Telangana government’s approach to the Kancha Gachibowli land exposes its anti-poor stance.
Kavitha went on to say that while the Congress falsely accuses the BRS of favouring influential figures like MyHome’s Rameshwar Rao, it lacks the courage to investigate or act against them. Instead, Congress focuses on disrupting HCU, punishing the poor and vulnerable while shielding the powerful.
She further accused the Telangana government of making a brazen attempt to seize the University of Hyderabad (UoH) land, despite a clear court verdict affirming that the land rightfully belongs to the university.
Not taken even an inch of Hyderabad University land, says Telangana govt
“This land, initially given by Indira Gandhi and protected by the BRS, has been the center of a prolonged legal battle for 25 years,” Kavitha added
She further said that the court has now ruled in favor of HCU, yet the Congress government is manipulating the outcome to claim that the land belongs to the government, not the university.
The BRS MLC suggested the Telangana government use the 397 acres previously allocated to UoH for infrastructure development. “Instead, it is targeting HCU’s 2,500-acre campus, threatening its rich biodiversity and peaceful academic environment,” Kavitha remarked.
She further said that Hyderabad already has ample land for development, and bulldozing HCU land only reveals Congress’s disregard for environmental preservation and academic sanctity.
She urged the Telangana government to respect the court’s decision and preserve HCU’s land and environment. “Twisting facts and bulldozing educational institutions only reveal Congress’s true priorities—favoring the elite at the expense of the common people and nature.”
Not taken an inch of land from UoH
However, the Telangana government on Tuesday, April 1, stated that it has not taken even an inch of land belonging to the university.
The government claimed that after winning the court case relating to the land, it protected the government land worth thousands of crores from falling into the hands of private persons and wants to use the same to provide employment to the youth by setting up IT companies.
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Legal issue
Elaborating on the legal aspect of the Kancha Gachibowli land, the Telangana government stated that in 2004, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government allotted 400 acres to IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd on January 13, 2004, in Survey Number 25 of Kancha Gachibowli Village for the development of sports facilities.
According to a report by The Hindu, as the project of the IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd did not take off, the then Government of Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) revoked the allotment on November 21, 2006, which was challenged in the A.P. High Court. The new government pursued the matter vigorously, and the High Court passed orders in favour of the government on March 7, 2024.
Following the High Court order, the IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court of India. The government again contested the matter, and the SLP was dismissed by the Supreme Court of India on May 3, 2024. Thus, the government was able to secure the land.
The ownership of the land was also confirmed by the Deputy Collector and Tahsildar, Serilingampally Mandal who confirmed that as per Revenue records the land in Survey Number 25 of Kancha Gachibowli Village was recorded as “Kancha Asthabal Poramboke Sarkari”, which is government land and an extent of 400 acres was free from encroachments and under the possession of government for further development.
After completing the acquisition of the land, the Telangana government said that the I&C Department recommended alienation proposals under the new land allotment policy on September 14, 2022. Accordingly, on June 19, 2024, the government requested to hand over advance possession to the TGIIC for setting up an Information Technology (IT) and mixed-use project. The land was handed over to TGIIC on July 1, 2024, duly conducting the panchanama.
