OU refuses land to metro
DC, Hyderabad, October
18, 2012 By L. Venkat Ram
Reddy
The
lands belonging to Osmania University will not be alienated to the Hyderabad
Metro Rail (HMR) project. HMR has sought nearly 25 acres belonging to Osmania
University in Tarnaka, Koti and Secunderabad to build parking facilities and
other amenities for the project. However, the stiff resistance from Osmania
University staff and student organisations has forced the government to refuse
land allotment for the project.
OU
teachers, students and non-teaching staff had launched a “Save OU lands“
campaign in January 2011 to prevent university land being given to the metro
rail project. They demanded that OU land should be used only for expansion of
the university. They pointed out that giving away precious land was totally
against the resolution passed by the university on December 26, 1986, as well
as the report of the Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy Committee. Of the nearly 25
acres sought, two acres were in Koti Women’s College, and another two acres in
PG College, Secunderabad, 1.7 acres on the NIN premises, Tarnaka, two acres in
the State Archives, Tarnaka, 2.78 acres in the Tarnaka junction flyover and
university road and 15 acres near Sarathi School, Habsiguda. The government has
now decided to withdraw its proposal to acquire these OU lands and it will look
for other alternatives.
Under
the agreement signed with the concessionaire L&T, the state government has
to allot 269 acres for the metro rail project. This included the 25 acres of
OU. It has already identified and allotted 15 acres in Raidurg for the HMR in
August and still needs another 13 acres. The government is searching for other
land for developing parking facilities and circulation areas for metro rail
stations.
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