Hyderabad: Rejecting criticism and wild allegations of a big land scam by the BRS leaders in the HILT (Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation) policy, the four-member Sub-Committee of the ministers defended it stating that it would free Hyderabad from increasing air pollution as well as generate funds by the way of registration of the lands by the industrial managements.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee on resource mobilization, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, said the committee had approved the SRO (Sub Registrar Office) prices in the registration of the lands. “As the managements are not ready to pay 100 per cent SRO, the government has finalized the price with the consent of the industry managements,” it said.

Bhatti and other Cabinet Sub-Committee members - N Uttam Kumar Reddy, D Sridhar babu and J Krishna Rao said the previous BRS government had carried out industrial land conversions for selected individuals without a policy and any Cabinet approval.

“They converted the lands inside industrial parks only for those they wanted to benefit,” they said. They also said the government will reveal complete details of how many industrial land conversions the BRS leaders had done and who had received those lands. “The agenda behind bringing in the HILT 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 on the subject in the Cabinet,” Bhatti said, adding that those who have 80-feet road access will be allowed conversion at 50 per cent of SMR (standard market rate). If industrial land conversion increases, the government revenue will rise, he added. In the national capital Delhi, pollution levels increased so severely that schools and government offices had to be shut.