Student unions and teaching and non-teaching associations have launched ‘Save University of Hyderabad campaign’ ahead of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to the campus on October 19 to lay the foundation stone of the prestigious Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
The unions and associations are opposing the allotment of land on the HCU campus to various public and private institutions including the 210 acres allotted to TIFR for its campus.
They allege that in just five years, HCU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Seyed Hasnain, has attempted to give away more than 1,000 acres of land.
The signature campaign initiated by social science professor, Mr Sudhakar Reddy, has collected 800 signatures in a week. The signatories are from the university, and sympathisers at other Indian universities and abroad.
The unions will stage a peaceful demonstration on October 19 and submit a representation to the Prime Minister demanding a halt to land deals and a thorough review of land deals and cancellation of unjustified deals.
“All campuses of TIFR in Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru put together are situated on land not exceeding 75 acres. Why does TIFR require 210 acres in Hyderabad?” asked Mr Reddy.
When it was established in 1974, the government of Andhra Pradesh provided 2,324 acres of land to the university in the ‘green belt’ area of Hyderabad.
“The university has alienated more than a third of its land, used up another third, and the remaining has to be preserved to protect the environment. Where is the land for future expansion?” asked Dr Purendra Prasad, assistant professor, department of sociology, HCU.
Prof Hasnain said the campaign is based on deliberate misinformation. He said nearly 780 acres of university land was allocated to various institutions by the Andhra Pradesh government even prior to 2006.
He clarified that from 2006 to date only 488.28 acres has been allotted through government orders and with the unanimous approval of the university’s executive council.
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