Telangana Politics Heat Up Over HILT Policy!
The decision taken by the Revanth Reddy government to convert industrial lands into multi-use zones is now creating a storm in Telangana politics. Land allotted by the government for a specific purpose must be used strictly for that purpose. If, for any reason, such land needs to be used for other needs, an NOC must be obtained from the concerned department. Only then is it possible to use that land for other purposes. Even in the undivided state… and after the bifurcation as well, some companies were given such exemptions. Industry department sources say that those who were in power at that time permitted these changes and benefited massively. Starting from Patancheru, similar dealings took place even in the Azamabad Industrial Estate located in the heart of the city. Since Azamabad Industrial Estate came into the middle of the city, it was said that running industries there was not appropriate. The then rulers granted several exemptions to those who had acquired land there and gained huge benefits.
Now, instead of looking at individual cases, the Revanth Reddy government has identified a total of 9,292 acres in all the industrial zones around Hyderabad. Of these, 4,740 acres have been identified as suitable for immediate multi-purpose use. However, allegations are pouring in that the government has brought this to the forefront strictly according to a well-planned sketch. To facilitate permission for using thousands of acres of land for real estate and other commercial needs, the government has introduced the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy. This has now become a hot topic in political and official circles. Those who acquired land cheaply in the name of industries and ran their industries for so long will naturally rejoice if now they are allowed to use the same land for real estate and other commercial needs. No matter how one looks at it, those currently enjoying this land stand to gain massively. But no one believes that those in power will grant such benefits so easily. Officials in the industries department themselves opine that what is seen officially on the surface is one thing, and behind the scenes there will be many transactions. Adding to this, BRS leaders—especially the party’s working president KTR and former minister Harish Rao—are describing this as a ₹5 lakh-crore scam. Officials say there is definitely scope for irregularities and that irregularities are indeed certain to happen. However, based on the statements made by KTR and Harish Rao, criticism is arising that the seriousness of the issue is turning into comedy.
Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu has responded several times to the BRS allegations. He demands that they stop making baseless accusations and show evidence if they can. Everything is fine up to this point. It has been nearly two years since the Congress government came to power in the state. The same Congress leaders—especially current CM Revanth Reddy—accused the KCR family in the past, while in the opposition, of looting lakhs of crores of rupees through Dharani. They made similar accusations regarding the Kaleshwaram project. Revanth Reddy also announced that if they came to power, they would take back the ORR that BRS had privatized.
If one continues listing such statements, the list goes on. Despite making corruption allegations amounting to lakhs of crores of rupees, Revanth Reddy and the Congress government have not been able to prove even a thousand crore worth of corruption and hold BRS leaders guilty. But now, do the comments made by Sridhar Babu—who is now essentially arguing on behalf of the government—asking to show evidence before making allegations even hold value? This government, which spoke extensively while in the opposition but has not taken action in even a single instance after coming to power, is now making statements that few are likely to believe. And that has become the latest hot topic.
