SCB bouncer to HCA, accuses it of encroaching prime Cantt land

SECUNDERABAD: The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), one of the oldest cricket associations of India, has landed itself in trouble yet again. This time with the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) dashing of a notice accusing the body of encroaching 9.6 acres prime government land, valued anywhere upwards of Rs 1,400 crore (as per rough market estimates).
The notice (a copy of which is in TOI's possession) states that HCA has "illegally" occupied this "class C land" (Cantonment property) "situated at Sardar Patel Road".
It also warns the cricket body of serving an eviction notice if it fails to respond to the show cause by July 14.
"In pursuance of sub-section (1) of section (4) of the Public Premises (eviction of unauthorised occupants) Act, 1971, I hereby call upon you to show cause on on before 14/07/2023 why such an order of eviction should not be made," stated the notice signed by the SCB CEO, D Madhukar Naik.
He said that the matter has also been escalated to the defence ministry.
According to SCB officials, the trouble started in 2012 about two years after HCA entered into a lease agreement with the Defence Estates Office (DEO).
The matter reached the courtroom when the ministry of defence cancelled the agreement.
D uring the legal tussle, HCA claimed that the total leased area was 15.3 acres (roughly) while defence authorities maintained that it was only 5.7 acres.
Since HCA, subsequently, managed to get an interim relief on that 5.7 acres, SCB has left that untouched. It has only questioned the encroachment of the remaining 9.6 acres, explained a senior official. He claimed: “HCA has not just encroached the land but has failed to pay any lease money for any of it.
The total outstanding would be at least `5 crore to `8 crore, if not more.” While TOI tried to reach out to HCA officials for a comment, they were either not available or unwilling to respond. Former director general of CRPF Kode Durga Prasad, who is currently looking after HCA’s administration, told TOI: “I am out of station at the moment and hence will not be able to comment on the subject”. Given the acute crunch of land in Secunderabad area, realtors say that this piece of land — sitting in the heart of the twin cities — can comfortably fetch `150 crore per acre, or more.
The location is lucrative considering it is surrounded by Bison Polo Ground on the north, the Rajiv Rahadari road on the east and the busy commercial SP Road stretch on the south. The area currently under controversy houses “cricket ground, pavilion block and office rooms with RCC roof ”, the SCB notice states.