Officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have stopped the alleged illegal construction activity on the land that belongs to the Osmania University in Amberpet area in the city, and razed some structures erected on the land.
This comes less than a week after political leaders and students alleged that several private entities, including the family of former High Court judge L Narasimha Reddy, have encroached upon Osmania University’s land, which is worth crores.
The alleged construction was taking place on a tract of land near DD Colony, which belongs to Osmania University. On Monday, GHMC officials visited the site and demolished the compound wall built on the land. They also asked the parties concerned and site supervisors to maintain the 'status quo'.
On May 24, University Registrar Gopal Reddy had submitted a complaint to GHMC, the Mayor and police officials, alleging that around 3,296 square yards of land was being encroached by some persons.
Earlier this week, Gopal Reddy had told TNM that the encroachments were being carried out by citing an old judgment, due to which the university had to forego 4,800 square yards of land.
According to reports, when the GHMC officials reached the site on Monday, the parties concerned said they were the plot owners and had the permission to take up constriction activities. They showed a permission document issued by the GHMC in March 2009. However, according to GHMC, the 2009 permission to build on the land lapsed in 2012, and the plot owners had not obtained fresh permission before erecting the compound wall.
L Indira, the wife of former judge Justice Narasimha Reddy, has been accused of illegally encroaching upon over 311 square yards.
Speaking to TNM, Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan said, “We have razed the walls as they (the parties concerned) don't have permission. The GHMC has not issued any permission to take up any activity on the 3,296 square yards of the land of the university. Whatever the permissions were given in 2009 are not valid and cannot be enforced now. If they want to build on this land, they have to apply for fresh permissions. Until then, the status quo remains."
He further added, "We (GHMC) are concerned about the permission part since the university is raising concerns about land titles. The matter has to be sorted by the Revenue Department and the University."
Congress leader V Hanmantha Rao has welcomed the GHMC action on the complaints of encroachments on the University land.
Left leaders like Vimalakka from Arunodaya Cultural Association (ACA), CPI Secretary Chada Venkata Reddy, Inti Party president Cheruku Sudhakar and Prof Kodandaram of Telangana Jana Samithi visited the disputed site on Tuesday. They demanded that the state government take action against all illegal encroachments and protect the land belonging to the University.
The Osmania University is the third oldest university in south India, after the University of Madras in Chennai and the University of Mysore in Karnataka.
The University student organisations are now demanding that walls be constructed around the university properties/lands and divert traffic from the university premises to protect these properties.
Meanwhile, the student union of the Hyderabad Central University/the University of Hyderabad has criticised former HC Judge Narasimha Reddy, who is the Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad and the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). In a statement, the union condemned the alleged illegal encroachment.
The students union has also demanded a judicial inquiry into the total land bank of Osmania, besides the construction of a compound wall along the campus borders. They have also demanded a white paper on land utilisation by the university on the Osmania University’s official website.