Madikeri: The latest missive from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), GKVK, Bangalore, to the Kodagu Assistant Commissioner not to initiate steps to acquire four acres of its land here for setting up a private bus stand, has taken an interesting turn.

Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav, on May 3, notified the acquisition of four acres of land belonging to the UAS under survey number 405/2 for the construction of a private bus stand.

The acquisition would hinder educational and research works of the UAS, the Estate Officer of the UAS has communicated to the Assistant Commissioner on July 14, sources told The Hindu on Monday.

The UAS has said that its letter to the Assistant Commissioner, Kodagu, who is also the Land Acquisition Officer, should be considered as objection to taking over the land.

The Estate Officer said that in the 312th AGM of the UAS held in Bangalore, based on the requests of elected representatives from Kodagu, the UAS had agreed to part with 2.45 acres of land adjacent to the land given to the Coorg Hockey Association. It would not agree with the notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner concerning the lands other than that. The UAS has 23.74 acres of land in Madikeri.

The letter stated that on November 16 last year, the Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, and the Personal Secretary to the Revenue Minister, wrote to the Deputy Commissioner not to acquire the proposed four acres of land.

The lands, which were under the control of the Department of Agriculture when the UAS came into being in 1963, were transferred to the UAS on September 29, 1965 in the State.

The land in Madikeri was suited and internationally acclaimed for research works on various aspects of paddy grown in hilly terrains such as "blast", and developing disease-resistant varieties of paddy. The UAS felt that it would be best to protect such lands coming under its control in the interest of farming community, the letter said.

The move to acquire lands belonging to the UAS for private bus stand had been in the pipeline since the early 80s. A taskforce, comprising the then district in-charge Minister, Deputy Commissioner, Chief Executive Officer and others, was formed some years ago to look into the matter, but to no avail.

There were suggestions to shift the private bus stand to the area where the Bal Bhavan, the Department of Horticulture and Department of Fisheries are located, next to the KSRTC bus stand.

Owing to division among the people on political lines, the idea fizzled out. It is said certain transport operators and traders are against the move to shift the bus stand to the UAS lands.

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