Harish Rao Raises Alarm Over Proposed Rs 500 Crore Hyderabad Land Transfer

Former minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao has accused the Telangana government of attempting to transfer a valuable government-owned property in central Hyderabad to private interests, demanding that the proposed allotment be scrapped immediately.

In an open letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao raised objections to the proposed transfer of nearly 3 acres and 23 guntas of OILFED land at RTC Cross Roads-Azamabad. According to him, the property, spread across about 15,984 square yards, has an estimated market value of around Rs 500 crore.

He alleged that the land was being considered for transfer to a private individual for just Rs 87 crore, despite OILFED, a government institution, being willing to pay the amount. Harish Rao questioned why the government was allegedly bypassing the public-sector organisation and demanded an explanation for the proposed move.

The BRS leader said the land had been under OILFED's possession for nearly three decades and pointed to a 1987 Supreme Court judgment, which he said had clarified the government's rights over the property. He alleged that the Congress government was disregarding legal and institutional considerations in its handling of the land.

Harish Rao said the previous BRS government had protected the high-value asset from being transferred to private hands during its 10-year tenure. Taking aim at the present administration, he alleged that while ordinary citizens were facing action under Section 22-A, valuable government properties were being made available to influential private interests.

He demanded the immediate cancellation of the proposed Azamabad land allotment and called for granting freehold rights to OILFED. Harish Rao also accused the government of pursuing a real-estate-driven approach in the handling of government land in Kokapet, Raidurgam and Gachibowli.

Warning of a political confrontation, Harish Rao said the BRS would launch a large-scale agitation if the government failed to reverse the decision and stop the transfer of government land to private individuals.