Tirupati: The long-standing controversy over the proposed development of three grasp plan roads by means of Sri Venkateswara College (SVU) campus in Tirupati has lastly ended, with the state authorities formally scrapping the plan. The announcement by municipal administration minister Dr P. Narayana within the Legislative Council has been met with celebrations from college students, college, and alumni who fought to guard the college’s educational and ecological integrity.

The Municipal Company of Tirupati (MCT) had proposed two 80-ft roads and one 100-ft highway by means of the campus, citing the necessity to enhance metropolis connectivity. Nonetheless, the transfer confronted sturdy opposition, with college students and alumni warning that it might endanger the college’s lush inexperienced cowl, together with its uncommon botanical analysis gardens, whereas additionally posing safety dangers. They argued that the plan would rework the serene campus into a loud hall of vehicular site visitors.

What started as a pupil protest rapidly gained momentum, drawing help from political events and alumni associations. “This wasn’t nearly roads; it was about preserving the identification of a campus that has nurtured generations of students,” mentioned Dr Ok. Raghunath, an SVU alumnus and retired professor.

The protests additionally took a political flip, with YSRC leaders backing the challenge, whereas the then opposition events, together with the Telugu Desam and BJP, criticised it. YSRC activists even burn effigies of rival leaders who opposed the roads. Nonetheless, allegations quickly surfaced that the true intent behind the challenge was to supply simpler entry to a star lodge below development close to Zoo Park Highway and a commissioner’s bungalow developing close by.

Amid mounting strain, the MCT put the challenge on maintain, however the controversy refused to die down. College members—each serving and retired—shaped a WhatsApp group titled ‘Save SVU – Don’t Destroy the Campus, ’ which grew to become a nerve centre for mobilising protests and elevating public consciousness. “We had to make use of each platform we might to unfold the phrase. This was a struggle to save lots of the very soul of SVU,” mentioned R. Sulochana, an alumna and former analysis scholar.

The matter regained political consideration after the NDA authorities got here to energy. MLC Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy raised the problem within the Legislative Council, urgent for a transparent determination on the challenge’s destiny. Responding to the question, Minister Narayana introduced that the highway proposal had been scrapped, placing an finish to months of uncertainty.