HYDERABAD: Accusing the state government of working for the benefit of private entities instead of protecting public assets, BRS leader T Harish Rao on Sunday opposed the reported move to hand over land belonging to Telangana Oilfed in Azamabad industrial area.
In an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the former minister said: “Instead of protecting public assets, the Congress government is turning government lands into a source of benefit for private individuals.”
“The Azamabad land issue raises serious questions about the government’s intentions,” he said, demanding that the decision be withdrawn immediately.
Stating that the land has a long history dating back to 1954, he said: “The land in Azamabad Industrial Area near RTC ‘X’ Roads was originally leased to a private company for running an oil mill.
The company later violated the lease conditions and the lease was cancelled by the government in 1974. The company challenged the decision in the courts and it even moved the Supreme Court. According to the 1987 Supreme Court judgment, the company was left with only 1,277 square yards. The remaining 15,984 square yards was taken back by the government and handed over to Oilfed through GO No 93 in 1991.”
“Since then, Oilfed, now Telangana Oilfed, has been in possession of the land for more than three decades and has been using and protecting the government property,” he said.
“Later in 2003, an attempt was made to revive the cancelled lease through GO No 366. The government itself issued a show-cause notice in 2015, asking why the GO should not be withdrawn. In 2022, the high court directed the government to take a final decision on the matter,” he added.
The BRS leader wondered why the present government, despite the court orders and the government’s own records, was trying to give this valuable land to a private individual. “The people of Telangana deserve a clear answer,” he said, while also questioning the reported proposal to give only around 1,800 square yards to Oilfed and hand over the remaining land to a private party.
“In the open market, this land is worth around `500 crore. Why is the government trying to give it away for just `87 crore? More importantly, Oilfed itself is ready to pay `87 crore to the government and has even kept the money ready through fixed deposits for securing freehold rights. When the government’s own organisation is ready to pay, why is the government choosing a private individual instead?” he asked.
‘Govt should strengthen public sector institutions’
Harish Rao said that the government should strengthen public sector institutions and protect their assets instead of transferring valuable government properties to private persons.
“This is not just about one piece of land in Azamabad. From Kokapet and Raidurg to Kancha Gachibowli, valuable government lands are being sold or transferred in the name of auctions and allocations. Government lands belong to the people and must be protected for future generations,” he said.
The BRS leader also questioned the contrast between the government’s treatment of private property owners and government assets.
“On one side, ordinary people’s properties are being put under Section 22-A restrictions and people are being made to run from office to office. On the other side, valuable government lands are being handed over to private parties at low prices. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Harish Rao warned that if government lands continue to be sold or transferred in this manner, future generations may not even have land for schools, hospitals, public facilities and burial or cremation grounds.