Hyderabad: Members of the OBC Students Association wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, on Monday, seeking her intervention regarding the State government’s proposal to auction 400 acres of land. The land, reportedly an urban forest, is located in Kancha Gachibowli, adjacent to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus. In the letter, the President of India was apprised about the Telangana government’s recent proposal to auction 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli land, which is part of the UoH, to generate revenue for the State at the cost of rich biodiversity. The students association has called for immediate action to reclaim 2,324.05 acres of land that was promised for the university’s establishment in 1975 under the Six-Point Formula and Article 371E of the Indian Constitution.

Highlighting the issue, G Kiran Kumar, National President, All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) stated the President of India to immediately intervene in the issue, as Telangana government is now contesting the university’s ownership of this land. Shockingly, portions of the university’s land are reportedly being allocated for private purposes, raising concerns about encroachment and commercialisation.”

The University of Hyderabad, recognised as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has been a premier centre for academic and research excellence, catering to thousands of students, particularly from marginalised and economically weaker backgrounds. Given its rapid expansion and the growing need for interdisciplinary research and innovation, the university urgently requires the full extent of the land originally allocated to it, he added.

Meanwhile, in a similar context, several other student organisations wrote an open letter to the State government and demanded immediate halt of the 400 acres of university land auction.