HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday rebutted the allegations levelled by the BRS leaders with regard to the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP) introduced recently by the state government.
The duo noted that the previous BRS regime also took a decision to shift industries out of Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits. The ministers also reiterated that the government intends to conduct an inquiry into the alleged leak of details of GO on HILTP to the BRS leaders, before it was officially issued.
They were addressing the media along with fellow Cabinet members N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao. Vikramarka alleged that the BRS leaders, when they were in power, carried out industrial land conversions for the benefit of “their own people and a few select individuals”.
“There was no policy. Neither was there any Cabinet approval. They converted lands inside industrial parks as per their whims and fancies to benefit their own people and those who were close to them,” he added.
“Very soon, we will reveal complete details of how many industrial land conversions the BRS leaders undertook and who received those lands,” he said.
Stating that the present Congress government is not indulging in such practices, he said, “We have introduced a transparent policy for industrial land transfer in Hyderabad. The agenda behind introducing the Industrial Land Conversion Policy is to make Hyderabad a pollution-free city and to generate revenue for the state.”
“We held in-depth discussions with senior officials, consulted stakeholders and held extensive discussions within the Cabinet. Unlike the BRS leaders, we are not converting industrial land for any personal benefits or the benefit of other individuals,” he added.
The deputy chief minister also said that since the benefits of various welfare schemes should reach every beneficiary, because of which the year-on-year expenditure keeps increasing, the government is trying to enhance the state’s revenue without burdening the people with higher taxes.
He also reasoned that the new policy is aimed at preventing possible pollution problems of the kind that exist in Delhi.
“In Delhi, pollution levels increased so severely that schools and government offices have to be shut. We don’t want such a situation to arise in Hyderabad,” he added.
Meanwhile, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Cabinet has approved the HILT policy based on recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee on resource mobilisation.
“We have taken this decision to make Hyderabad a pollution-free city,” he said while suggesting that BRS leaders, including its working president KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao stop criticising the government with ulterior political motives.