Congress in Telangana facilitating quid pro quo of Rs 5 lakh cr to benefit select industrialists: BJP

Hyderabad: BJP in Telangana smells that the Congress government in Telangana is facilitating a massive quid pro quo arrangement benefiting select industrialists and realtors, amounting to an estimated Rs 5 lakh crore scam.

BJP state president N Ramachander Rao claimed that the government is preparing to hand over 9,292.53 acres of prime land in Hyderabad to a “politician–realtor nexus” under the guise of policy reform.

On November 22, the state Industries and Commerce Department issued G.O. Ms. No. 27, introducing the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP).

The new government order allows the conversion of 9,292.53 acres of land currently notified as industrial into multi-purpose use. These industrial estates are spread across 22 locations within and around the Outer Ring Road region of Hyderabad.

Rao said a detailed scrutiny of the policy raises serious concerns about its intent, transparency, and the potential loss to the public exchequer. BRS too last week made similar allegations against the HILTP.

He alleged that influential individuals within the ruling establishment have conspired to enable large-scale transfer of valuable public land into private hands, describing it as one of the biggest land scams in recent memory.

On Monday, BJP leaders met Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and sought his intervention to withdraw the HILTP government order.

“These industrial estates were originally allotted at nominal prices by the then Government of Andhra Pradesh to promote industrial development in Hyderabad. The same lands are now proposed to be reclassified for multi-purpose commercial use. However, the G.O. Ms. No.27 allows conversion at only 30 per cent or 50 per cent of the Sub-Registrar (SR) value, despite the steep rise in land prices across Hyderabad in the last decade,” he said.

To illustrate, just four days ago, in an HMDA auction, one acre of land was sold for Rs 151 crore. The current market data indicates that industrial land parcels in these locations are valued at approximately Rs 65 crore per acre. If the State were to dispose of these 9,292 acres at market rate, it would realise over Rs 6 lakh crore, which could clear entire public debt of Telangana state, he said.

“Instead, by allowing conversion at a mere 30 per cent of SR value, the government is effectively enabling private realtors to acquire and exploit prime land at throwaway prices. The core issue lies in adopting sub-registrar rates instead of TSIIC benchmark industrial land rates. It is well known that TSIIC rates are three times higher than sub-registrar rates. This deviation is central to the suspected quid pro quo arrangement benefiting private industrialists and realtors,” he told reporters after meeting the governor.

Ramachander Rao also said that farmers in Ranga Reddy district and the outskirts of Hyderabad have long been demanding permission for multi-purpose land conversion, yet their pleas remained ignored – revealing the selective and preferential nature of the present policy.

BJP delegation demanded immediate suspension of HILTP and constitution of a Commission headed by a retired high court judge to examine and determine an appropriate land conversion policy for Hyderabad and assess the status of industries classified as polluting, to evaluate the socio-economic impact on workers currently employed in the affected units, also determine the actual market value of these land parcels.

They also urged that the government examine the long-pending demand of the farmers for conversion of their farm land for multi-purpose use.