State forces Gulbarga varsity to cede 50 acres to ESIC

Much against the wishes of the Gulbarga University, the State government has allotted 50 acres of its precious land to the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for the construction of a medical education complex, including a super-speciality hospital.

With this the University has lost its prime land situated on the Gulbarga-Hyderabad Road that runs through via Sedam, which is 5-km away from the Greenfield Airport site at Srinivas Saradagi village.

Originally, the ESIC had sought only 30 acres for the construction of the Complex from the Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge. Members of the University Syndicate and others had vehemently opposed the parting of the prime land, which is meant for the expansion and development of the the three-decade-old University in the future, at the beginning. However, it is alleged that the Yeddyurappa government for the fear of being labelled as anti-development obliged to Minister Kharge’s demand and overruled the University’s wish.

The University in concurrence with the then Deputy Commissioner had fixed the price for 30 acres of land at Rs 4.5 crore.

The ESIC had agreed to pay the amount but owing to interference by certain authorities who influenced the State government, the land has now been given free of cost. Thus, the Gulbarga University now stands losing both the land as well as the money.

Later, the ESIC demanded another 30 acres of land adjacent to the already sanctioned 30 acres of land. The Yeddyurappa government without heeding to the University granted another 20 acres, free of cost. The ESIC is unsure of the kind of project that it has envisaged to be implemented in Gulbarga. Also, it is not clear on the extent of land that it requires for the project.

The University has not only lost its 50 acres of prime land but also a handsome revenue of Rs 7.5 crore.

“The proceeds of the sale of land could have been kept aside as corpus fund which in turn could have been used judiciously,” remarked a senior officer at the University. Six years ago the University had succeeded in retaining 50 acres of its land, which was sought for the establishment of the High Court Circuit Bench.

Moreover, the State Government while allotting the additional 20 acres of land to the ESIC had putforth a condition, according to which services of the ESIC super-speciality hospitals had to be extended to all the staff of the University either free of cost or at a concessional rate. However, no such agreement has been entered into between the Gulbarga University and the ESIC, so far. Also, there is no provision in the ESIC rules that allows for free medical services to any group or institution.