Hyderabad: Telangana revenue minister, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, stated that the ownership rights for 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, Survey No. 25, are entirely held by the state government.
He emphasized that the Congress government successfully fought legal battles in the High Court and Supreme Court to secure these rights, asserting that not a single inch of this land belongs to the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
He warned that any disputes regarding this land would fall under contempt of court.
Students being mislead: Reddy
Reddy criticized political leaders who oppose the government’s projects in this area, claiming they “mislead students for the benefit of certain real estate interests and spread false information on social media.”
He made these remarks during a press conference concerning the land dispute involving the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
The minister detailed the history of the land allocation, stating that on January 13, 2003, the then-government allocated this land to IMG Academies India Private Limited.
“However, due to the company’s failure to initiate its project, the allocation was revoked on November 21, 2006, and reassigned to the Andhra Pradesh Youth Advancement, Tourism and Cultural Department,” he said.
No survey done to demarcate govt land in Kancha Gachibowli: UoH
All administrations maintained stance that land belongs to govt: Reddy
Reddy stated that in 2006, IMG Academies filed a writ petition in the High Court contesting this decision.
“Throughout various administrations—including those led by Roshaiah, Kiran Kumar Reddy, and KCR—the government maintained its stance that the land belonged to them. The High Court ruled in favor of the government on March 7, 2024. IMG Academies subsequently challenged this ruling in the Supreme Court but was unsuccessful; their petition was dismissed on May 3, 2024,” he said.
On June 19, 2024, proposals were submitted by TGIIC for IT and other project developments on this land. Following this, on June 24, the Revenue department issued orders transferring rights over the land to TGIIC.
Revenue officials conducted a survey on July 1 to confirm boundaries and established that the land is not within forest limits, Reddy stated.
Plans are underway to preserve green spaces: Reddy
The minister further noted that during a survey conducted with university officials on July 19, it was confirmed that there are no lakes or other water bodies within the 400 acres being developed by TGIIC.
“Plans are underway to preserve green spaces and natural rock formations in the area,” he added.
In light of ongoing disputes regarding this land transfer, documents related to the 400 acres were released by the chief minister’s office on Monday, March 31.
These documents indicate that an earlier allocation of 534.28 acres of land in Survey No. 25 was transferred to the then-united Andhra Pradesh government, which subsequently allocated 397.16 acres of land in Gopanapally back to UoH as compensation.
The documents included signatures from then-Registrar Y Narasimha Rao.
