Hyderabad, Mar 25 (UNI)Andhra Pradesh Minister for Higher Education Mr Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao today assured the members that lands belonging to universities would be given on lease to educational and research institutions only.

He was replying to questions by agitated members P Shankara Rao (Congress) and M A Gafoor (CPIM) who alleged that valuable land of the Osmania University in the city was being leased out to petrol pumps, bars and restaurants and multi-plex theatres.

Denying the charge, the minister said land was leased to 28 educational institutions and a petrol pump.

He said it was during the TDP regime that the lease of the petrol pump was extended. The State government would recover the land leased out to undeserving institutions.

The Minister said of the 1,620 acres of the Osmania University, 220 acres was given to different institutions under lease, while 50 acres of land was under litigation. Referring to the demand of the TRS member Nayani Narasimha Reddu to set apart some land for providing houses to the poor who were engaged in construction work in the campus, the minister said 35 acres had already been set apart for the purpose.

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