The controversy over 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli adjacent to the University of Hyderabad has reached Delhi with six BJP MPs, including two Union ministers, meeting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and seeking his intervention in the matter.

The attempts of the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government to develop the land for auction was dubbed by the BJP MPs as an encroachment on the land of the Central university. However, Congress has denied that the land belonged to the university, claiming that the state government was the sole owner.

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Telangana state BJP President and Union Minister for Mines G Kishan Reddy met the minister at Parliament along with his Cabinet colleague Bandi Sanjay Kumar and four other MPs. He said, “I, along with Hon’ble MPs, urge the chief minister of Telangana to immediately stop the encroachment of the esteemed university, set up a review committee to study its ecological significance and explore sustainable alternatives.”

Reddy said during the meeting with the Union education minister it emerged that the university “… is in need of the land for green space, further development of the institute and groundbreaking research activities, paving the way for expansion of the prominent institute for future generations.”

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union minister for education, also assured the BJP MPs, who sought the “Central government’s intervention for protecting 400 acres of ecologically sensitive and forested land in Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The green space near the University of Hyderabad is a carbon sink and home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Have assured Hon’ble MPs of appropriate cooperation in this regard”.

Meanwhile, the Telangana government claimed to be the sole owner of the 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli, arguing that the university had relinquished it in 2004 after receiving land in exchange at Gopanpally. Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala attached a copy of the panchanama from February 2004 bearing the signature of the then registrar of the university to his ‘X’ handle. The stated, “At that time, the state government provided an alternate 400 acres of land to HCU, which the varsity accepted, thus permanently relinquishing all and any claims over the said tract of land. It may be noted that the Central university had acquired the allotment of land to the sports entity by taking alternative land in exchange.”

He also argued that the land was not notified as forest land in the revenue records.

Meanwhile, protests continued in the Hyderabad Central University over the proposed auction of the land that boasted rich diversity before the state government unleashed a fleet of earth movers to clear off the vegetation.