HYDERABAD: The state government has ordered a Vigilance inquiry into how details of the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) Policy reached BRS leaders days before the GO was issued, setting off speculation within the administration over the source of the leak.
The HILT Policy was cleared by the state Cabinet on November 18, but the GO was held back for reasons officials have not explained.
Before the document was released, BRS working president KT Rama Rao addressed the media on November 21, citing policy details that were still out of the public domain. His remarks set off a storm within the government, prompting questions over how he obtained them.
According to officials familiar with the early findings, the leak occurred while the draft GO was still under preparation. PPT slides used in the Cabinet presentation on November 20 are believed to have been circulated outside authorised channels. The GO was eventually issued on November 22.
Sources said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu have asked the chief secretary to identify the source of the leak and recommend action. Intelligence units were instructed to trace possible access points soon after Rama Rao’s press conference, and inputs from those early checks formed the basis for Tuesday’s decision to open a formal Vigilance probe.
Officials privately acknowledge that suspicion has fallen on a particular minister, though there is no confirmation. Intelligence teams are also said to have reviewed the roles of staff across departments and ministerial offices who may have handled the policy documents.