Urdu Academy lease pulled, says report

A report published on August 17 says the Telangana government has cancelled the 30‑year lease of 1.04 acres (5,220 sq yd) of Telangana State Urdu Academy land to N.N. Infra & Constructions, withdrawing its July 16 order (GO 20) through a fresh order, GO 23, dated August 11. The cancellation order was not located on the public portal at the time of writing.

GO 20 had cleared a Build‑Operate‑Transfer plan for an “Urdu‑Ghar‑cum‑Shadikhana and Commercial Complex” at Survey No. 29, Dargah Hussain Shah Wali village, Serilingampally, Rangareddy district, with the Urdu Academy retaining ownership, according to earlier reports. The arrangement drew objections from AIMIM, BRS and minority groups, which alleged the lease skipped a transparent tender and statutory approvals; those are allegations, not yet matched to the file or the rules.

One earlier on‑record explanation from the Academy said the plan aimed to utilise the land without burdening the exchequer and revise rent every five years. The reported cancellation, if confirmed, resets that plan — and leaves open basic questions the government should answer on the record: the reason for the U‑turn, whether any deed was executed, if possession changed hands, and what happens to the Urdu Ghar that was promised.

For a state that’s had to fight Delhi and its cheerleaders for every rupee and every project, basic transparency on land files isn’t a big ask. The BJP‑led Centre loves a sermon on accountability; it can start by not making states dig for routine orders. And the Congress government in Telangana can publish GO 23 — today — instead of making people take a report’s word for it.