Hyderabad: The TS government has planned to take over and sell 20 acres of land allotted to the National Institute of Urban Management, Hyderabad, in Khanamet near Kothaguda on the city outskirts. The parcel of land is said to be worth Rs 300 crore.
The NIUM was allotted 20 acres of land belonging the HMDA by the Rosaiah government in 2010. The insitute never got off the ground.
Official sources in the HMDA said that the proposal to take over and sell the land is pending with chief secretary Rajiv Sharma. Mr Sharma is said to have assured HMDA officials that he would refer the matter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who will take a final call.
The TS government is planning to allot land to NIUM in some other location, if it is serious about the project, but just about 5 acres. Officials say 3 acres would be more than enough to set up such a institute.
Sources said the HMDA had been urging the government to allow it to sell the land to overcome its severe financial crunch; the authority is unable to even pay salaries to its staff.
The HMDA hopes money from the sale of the land will put it back in the black. The NIUM was planned by the UPA to train urban managers to meet the growing challenges of urbanisation.
The Centre was to contribute Rs 50 crore and the state Rs 15 crore to build the NIUM and set up the training facilities in the first year. The World Bank was to contribute Rs 20 crore.
