Harish Rao flays Congress govt for systematic assault on university lands

BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government in Telangana of systematically targeting university lands under the guise of development. He alleged that over 100 acres from agricultural and horticultural universities were forcibly taken.

Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao flayed the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government for repeatedly targeting university lands and bulldozing them in the name of development. The pattern of land takeovers over the past two years shows a disturbing anti-education mindset within the State administration, he said.

Condemning the attempts to take over university lands, Harish Rao said over 100 acres belonging to Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University and Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University were forcibly taken over.

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“This led to the destruction of 60 acres of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Station. Sixty years of precious germplasm and research was completely destroyed,” he said.

The senior BRS leader pointed out that over 400 acres of forest land within Hyderabad Central University (HCU) was targeted, destroying a rich ecosystem and threatening endangered species that depend on the campus for survival. He said the latest attempt to take over 50 acres of land belonging to Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) shows the government’s intent.

“These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a systematic assault on educational institutions.” he said, asking whether the Congress government was against universities, research and students. He accused the government of treating land meant for education, innovation, and environmental protection as expendable.

“Shame! This government seems more interested in bulldozing knowledge than building the future of Telangana,” he added.