Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Plea on land for Nims varsity set aside

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, Feb. 19: The stage is cleared for the setting up of the campus of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) University on the city outskirts. The AP High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition against acquisition of land for the university. Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy dismissed a petition filed by Mr D. Pochaiah and 15 others of Rangapur village in Nalgonda district challenging the notification of the district collector for acquiring 160 acres of land for the university.
The government had proposed to set up the Nims University in Rangapur near Bibinagar and had initiated the land acquisition process. The petitioners objected to the process and approached the High Court. Earlier, the court passed an interim order asking the government to maintain status quo. The petitioner contended that their families were in possession of the land for more than 50 years. They alleged that the revenue authorities did not serve notice on them. They came to know about the acquisition after some officials began a survey of the site. They approached the collector and the local MRO and showed them a piece of alternative land adjoining the proposed site, they said.
The government argued that there was no alternative land in the village. The one shown by the petitioners was not fit for construction. The court was informed that notices were served on land-owners. Some persons had even attended the award enquiry and sought Rs 1,200 per square yard.

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