Congress government claims 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, deadline issued to show ownership transfer from UOH

Regarding the auction of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, the Congress government has issued a detailed note on the ownership of the land.

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No Survey by Revenue Department

Even after HCU clarified that no survey was conducted by the revenue department to alienate the land, the government still claimed full ownership.

The University of Hyderabad has issued a clarification. The clarification said that the revenue officials in the university campus did not conduct any survey in July 2024 to demarcate the 400 acres of land recovered by the state government from IMG Academy India Private Limited in 2006. However, the state government claimed ownership over the 400 acres of land.

'The Courts Ruled in Favor of the State Government'

It detailed the timeline of sales, which it claimed formed the basis of its ownership: During united Andhra Pradesh, the state government sold 400 acres of land in the year 2000 in favor of a sports management company, IMG India, a wholly owned subsidiary of IMG Florida, represented by a man called Billy Rao.

Provided an Option in Exchange for 400 Acres of Land

The then TDP-led government took this decision. At that time, the state government offered Hyderabad Central University an option in exchange for 400 acres of land. The option was accepted by the university, thus permanently renouncing all and any claim of ownership over the said land. It is worth noting that the central university had given up the allotment of land to the sports unit by taking alternative land in return.

Following this, the then Congress government enacted a law and canceled the contract, terming it against public policy. Following the cancellation, the private entity took the matter to the judiciary.

The Case Progresses Through the Courts

First, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and then the High Court of Telangana (Writ Petition No. 24781) heard the case. All subsequent governments argued that the land belonged to the state government.

The case was decided in favor of the state government. Thus, the government was successful in getting back 400 acres of land worth thousands of crores of rupees.

The Supreme Court of India (SLP No. 9265) also ruled in favor of the Telangana Government.

Notified as Revenue Land

The land falls under survey number 25 of Kancha Gachibowli village. The word 'Kancha' means pasture land (unproductive land). It has been shown as revenue land from the earliest revenue records. It was not notified as forest land.

Not Notified as Forest Land

As a result, the land in Survey No. 25 was handed over to Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) after a panchnama was done by the revenue officials. The land parcel does not include Buffalo Lake and Peacock Lake. Based on the survey observations on the ground, TGIIC prepared a layout duly preserving the rock formations including Mushroom Rock within the layout. In addition, as part of the master plan, a detailed Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is also being prepared, which will ensure sustainable development of the area. The facts stated above prove two things: Not even an inch of land in possession of TGIIC belongs to the University of Hyderabad.

During the process of TGIIC taking possession of its land after years of legal cases, the state government revenue officials and TGIIC ensured that they carried out the process in the presence of UoH officials to ensure that not even an inch of the university's land was being touched.

For more updates on related developments in Hyderabad, visit Vaartha Hyderabad and Vaartha ePaper.