Hyderabad: Protests erupt in BRAOU against Congress govt’s decision to allot 10 acres of university land to JNAFAU

The BRAOU's Joint Action Committee comprising teaching and non-teaching staff associations and technical staff association, demanded the immediate rollback of the government decision on the land allotment

Hyderabad: The Dr.BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) campus on Wednesday was rocked by protests against the Congress government’s decision to allot 10 acres of the university land to Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU).

The BRAOU’s Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising teaching and non-teaching staff associations and technical staff association, demanded the immediate rollback of the government decision on the land allotment.

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JAC chairperson Prof. Pallavi Kabade, convener Prof. Vaddanam Srinivas, and general secretary Dr. Maheshwar Goud said the university has been imparting education to economically weaker sections and underprivileged students for several decades.

Due to lack of enough buildings and infrastructure both the staff and students were already facing challenges and there was a need to establish multimedia, online education learning and skill development centres to cater the growing requirements, they said.

According to JAC, the BRAOU was established in 53 acres of land in Jubilee Hills by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government. However, five acres of land was allotted to T-SAT, another 4 acres of land was used for constructing the cable bridge, while more than 5 acres was submerged in Durgam Cheruvu. The university, now in 35 acres of land with various buildings, has been extending services to lakhs of students across the State.

The JAC expressed its apprehensions and concerns over the government’s decision to allot the university’s land to other institutions, as there would not be any scope for further expansion of the campus. The JAC members, along with all employees associations, Dalit and weaker sections leaders, warned of a stir if the decision to allot land was not taken back.