Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 21 : BRS Working President KT Rama Rao on Friday alleged that the Congress-led Telangana government's newly announced Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP)-which seeks to convert industrial lands inside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) into multi-use zones-is a vehicle for what he termed "India's biggest land scam" and demanded its "immediate withdrawal".
KTR claimed that the scam could result in a loss of up to Rs 5 lakh crore to the state's exchequer.
Addressing reporters in Hyderabad, KTR accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of attempting to convert thousands of acres of high-value industrial land into multi-use real estate at "throwaway rates" for the benefit of "politically connected middlemen, relatives, and real estate groups."
He contended that the policy, projected by the government as a transformation and regularisation initiative, is instead "a blueprint for a Rs 5 lakh crore scam." KTR said that the policy aims to regularise nearly 9,292 acres of prime industrial clusters across Balanagar, Jeedimetla, Sanathnagar and Azamabad.
He said the open-market value of these lands, estimated at Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore per acre, places their total value between Rs 4 lakh crore and Rs 5 lakh crore.
"But Revanth is trying to hand over these lands for just 30 per cent of the outdated SRO rate," KTR alleged, adding that the SRO rates themselves are "four to five times lower than the actual market value."
He questioned the "unusual haste" in implementing the policy, noting provisions such as a 7-day application window, a 7-day approval period, and full regularisation within 45 days.
Claiming that "pre-arranged deals" had already been struck even before the policy's final approval, KTR alleged that individuals close to the Chief Minister were actively involved in land agreements. "Why this lightning speed for a matter worth lakhs of crores?" he asked.
KTR said industrial lands were originally allotted at subsidised prices to generate employment and promote production, often after being acquired from farmers. He accused the Congress government of undermining this intent by facilitating windfall gains for private players. "We rejected such proposals during our term because public land cannot be gifted away to private beneficiaries," he said.
Calling the policy an "ATM for the Congress Party," KTR alleged that the government had earlier attempted similar moves with land parcels along the Musi riverbed, Metro Rail corridors and University of Hyderabad lands. "Revanth's only vision is real estate," he claimed, adding that the Chief Minister was "surrounded by land dealers."
The BRS leader warned industries and developers against participating in transactions under HILTP, asserting that such deals would face legal scrutiny in the future. He promised that a future BRS government would reverse the policy, recover the land and initiate criminal proceedings against those involved.
Demanding the immediate withdrawal of the policy, KTR suggested that the state should reclaim 50 per cent of the land for public use and auction the remainder, similar to practices in metropolitan cities, to maximise revenue. He further challenged the BJP to oppose the policy and urged citizens to remain alert to what he described as the "daylight robbery of Telangana's public assets."