MLC Sravan Kumar Dasoju urges CM to stop move to resume 50 acres of MANUU land
HYDERABAD: Telangana Legislative Council member Sravan Kumar Dasoju has written to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, urging the immediate withdrawal of a show cause notice proposing to resume 50 acres of land from Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU).
In his January 8, 2025 representation, Dasoju objected to the notice issued by the Ranga Reddy district collector on December 29, 2025, seeking to resume land in survey numbers 211 and 212 of Manikonda village. He described the move as a violation of constitutional protections for minority institutions and said it undermines the academic future of the central university.
Land earmarked for future academic expansion
Dasoju said MANUU, established by an Act of Parliament in 1998, currently operates seven schools and 28 departments, serving over 7,000 on-campus students and nearly three lakh distance learners. He noted that the university had originally been assured 500 acres but received about 200 acres, of which around 40 acres were already lost to Outer Ring Road and road projects.
He argued that the 50 acres proposed to be resumed are reserved for a sanctioned law school, proposed medical and nursing colleges, and women’s hostels, and termed the classification of the land as “unutilised” as legally flawed.
Allegation of broader pattern
The MLC linked the MANUU notice to what he called a broader pattern of targeting university lands, citing the recent controversy involving University of Hyderabad. He alleged that branding future use land as surplus and monetising it reflected a real estate driven approach to governance.
Dasoju also flagged delays in reimbursement of tuition fee and scholarships to minority students, saying financial stress on private minority institutions contradicted the state’s stated commitment to minority welfare.
Demands placed before the government
The representation sought immediate withdrawal of the show cause notice, a two month extension for MANUU to submit detailed project reports for planned facilities, and a policy assurance that lands of central universities will not be mortgaged or transferred for commercial development.
He further demanded restoration of the original 500-acre vision for MANUU by identifying adjacent land, protection of the campus’s rock formations and green cover, clearance of pending fee reimbursement dues, and adherence to Article 30(1) of the Constitution.
Copies of the letter were marked to the Union education minister, the Governor of Telangana in the capacity of MANUU’s chief rector, the university’s vice-chancellor, the minority welfare minister, and the Ranga Reddy district collector.
