Hyderabad University puts knowledge park on hold

The university's executive council on Tuesday decided to maintain status quo of the project scheduled to come up in 200 acres on the varsity campus in the Gachi Bowli area that houses several top institutions and corporate companies like Indian School of Business, Microsoft and Infosys.

The first day’s meeting on Monday was disrupted by protesters who, joined by politicians, demanded the project be scrapped.

Vice-Chancellor Seyed E Hasnain clarified that the project was not scrapped. He said he had supported the project in the interest of the university but the final decision lay with the Andhra Pradesh government which had proposed it as a bilateral project.

Hasnain has been arguing that the project would help the university raise much needed funds, as the Centre has drastically reduced the funds allocated for it. He argued the university would lose Rs 100 crore if the project is grounded, which it needs for its corpus.

However, opponents to the project allege that the university was selling away prime land whose worth is estimated at Rs 4,000 crore at market value for a paltry Rs 100 crore.

However, Hasnain has argued that there is no question of land being taken away from the university.