KTR’s claims blatant lies: Sridhar Babu counters BRS on land polic

Hyderabad: IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu strongly condemned BRS working President KT Rama Rao’s allegations, stating that portraying the government’s decision to levy an impact fee for the conversion of industrial lands as a “Rs 5–6 lakh crore scam” is nothing but malicious propaganda.

The Minister immediately questioned whether the BRS government itself did not issue three Government Orders (GOs) in August 2023 granting freehold rights—which are ownership rightsover lands leased to various industries.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Friday, Sridhar Babu countered Rama Rao’s accusations with detailed facts. Of the 9,292 acres being cited by Rama Rao, the Minister clarified that only 4,740 acres were actually allotted to industries after being properly plotted. The remaining lands were used for essential infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems. He pointed out that these allocations were not done in a single day but were made over several decades to promote industrial development.

Sridhar Babu asserted that it was the BRS government that initially granted freehold ownership rights for industrial lands in Ameerpet, Kukatpally, and Hafeezpet. He cited the Industries & Commerce Department’s issuance of GO Ms. 19, 20, and 21 on August 29, 2023, as proof. The present government, he explained, is now only providing an option for conversion of these lands, with impact fees fixed at 30 per cent and 50 per cent slabs, as approved in the Cabinet meeting on the 17th of this month.

“Just four months before the 2023 elections, you granted freehold rights. How many thousands of crores did you collect then?” Sridhar Babu asked. He accused BRS leaders of hiding these crucial GOs while simultaneously making baseless accusations against the current government. The Minister added that Rama Rao was clearly rattled after the Jubilee Hills by-election defeat. He claimed that the BRS party’s media machinery misled people by projecting a huge victory, and now the same outlets are trying to portray a non-existent scam—something the public is unwilling to believe.

Sridhar Babu condemned Rama Rao’s statement that the Chief Minister’s family members signed agreements: “None of them hold any position in government. A person who served as Minister for ten years stooping to such wild allegations is unacceptable. If he has evidence, let him produce it—the government will act accordingly.”

The Minister clarified that the government was expecting Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore in revenue from the conversion impact charges—and that revenue will only materialise if all eligible applicants actually apply. He stressed that those who do not possess ownership rights cannot apply for the conversion. The Minister concluded that the current administration has spent the last two years correcting the fiscal mismanagement inherited from the previous regime while simultaneously implementing vital welfare schemes.