MANUU Students Protest Bid to Reclaim 50-acre Campus Land
The statement urged the Manuu administration to treat the notice as a warning sign, pointing out that the university already faces a severe hostel shortage.
Hyderabad:Students of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (Manuu) have strongly opposed a show-cause notice issued by the government proposing the resumption of 50 acres of university land, calling the move alarming and detrimental to public higher education.
In a statement, the Manuu Students Collective said the notice reflected a troubling trend in which public universities were being viewed as surplus real estate rather than long-term academic resources meant for institutional growth.
Drawing parallels with earlier developments at the University of Hyderabad (UoH), where campus land had also come under scrutiny, the students warned of a pattern that reduces universities to land banks while overlooking their academic and social role.
The collective argued that citing “non-utilisation” of land ignored structural delays caused by bureaucratic approvals, funding constraints and reliance on central agencies such as the Central public works department. These systemic hurdles, they said, should not be used as grounds to reclaim land earmarked for educational expansion.
The statement urged the Manuu administration to treat the notice as a warning sign, pointing out that the university already faces a severe hostel shortage. Many students from marginalised, minority and economically weaker backgrounds struggle to secure accommodation, making expansion of hostel infrastructure urgent and unavoidable.
Diverting campus land, the students cautioned, would only worsen access issues. They stressed that available land must be prioritised for student needs and future academic growth.
