KTR also claimed that “pre-arranged deals” had already been struck by middlemen close to the chief minister even before the Cabinet cleared the policy.
Published Nov 21, 2025 | 3:10 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 21, 2025 | 3:10 PM
BRS Working President KT Rama Rao. (X)
Synopsis: BRS Working President KT Rama Rao alleged that Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy engineered a ₹5 lakh crore land scam under the guise of the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy. KTR condemned the intent behind the policy, calling it a blueprint for the biggest land scam in Independent India.
BRS Working President KT Rama Rao, on Friday, 21 November, ignited a fresh political storm, alleging that Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy engineered a ₹5 lakh crore land scam under the guise of Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP).
Addressing reporters at Telangana Bhavan, the former minister accused the chief minister of using the policy as a tool to “loot the state.” He said the government intended to permit large-scale changes in land use for parcels originally allotted decades ago to industrialists at nominal rates to promote industries.
Under the new policy, landowners seeking a change of land use are required to pay only 30 percent of the SRO (sub-registrar office) value — an amount Rama Rao (KTR) described as “a pittance.”
He alleged that this clause was at the heart of the scam. “This reeks of corruption. It appears Revanth Reddy wants to make at least ₹50,000 crore on the sly,” he charged.
KTR condemned the intent behind the policy, calling it a blueprint for the biggest land scam in Independent India. The policy seeks to allow redevelopment of 9,292 acres of long-idle industrial land situated across Hyderabad’s urban core.
He explained that these lands were originally allotted five to six decades ago when areas such as Balanagar, Jeedimetla, Sanathnagar, Uppal, Nacharam, Moula Ali, Medchal, Patancheru, Pashamylaram, Charlapally, Kushaiguda, Ramachandrapuram, Katedan, Mallapur and Hayathnagar lay on the outskirts of the city.
Over the decades, Hyderabad’s rapid expansion has transformed these once-peripheral industrial pockets into high-value zones surrounded by dense residential and commercial development.
Many industries in these areas have since shifted operations beyond the Outer Ring Road (ORR), following government directives aimed at reducing pollution and easing congestion. As a result, KTR said, vast tracts of centrally located land — among the most valuable in the city — now lie vacant or underutilised.
KTR said the chief minister was using this rationale as a façade to push through land-use changes that disproportionately benefit private owners and developers.
He alleged that the market value of the 9,292 acres in question ranges between ₹4 lakh crore and ₹5 lakh crore, given that land in these clusters commands ₹40–50 crore per acre in open-market conditions. “This is not a policy; it is a ₹5 lakh crore scam in disguise,” KTR said. “Public land that was once allotted for industrial growth, public purpose and employment generation is now being converted into a cash cow for those close to the chief minister.”
The BRS leader said the decision to regularise land at just 30 percent of outdated SRO values defied logic and transparency. “Even the SRO value is not being collected fully. Only 30 percent is being taken. The remaining lakhs of crores are being siphoned into private pockets,” he alleged.
KTR also claimed that “pre-arranged deals” had already been struck by middlemen close to the chief minister even before the Cabinet cleared the policy.
“Why this extraordinary rush? Why applications in seven days, approvals in seven days, and full regularisation in 45 days when land worth lakhs of crores is at stake?” he asked.
Accusing the chief minister of functioning like a “real estate CM”, KTR said the Congress government was giving priority to land monetisation rather than governance. “First, it was Musi riverbed lands, then Metro Rail lands, then the University of Hyderabad lands. Now, 9,292 acres of industrial land are being targeted. Revanth Reddy’s only vision for Telangana is real estate,” he remarked.
He reminded that many of these lands had been acquired from farmers decades ago for industrial development. “The intention was jobs, production and public interest — not enriching private entities. During our tenure, we rejected similar proposals because public land cannot be gifted away,” he said.
Issuing a stern warning to developers and industrialists, KTR said any transaction undertaken under the HILTP would face severe legal scrutiny when the BRS returns to power. “These deals will not stand. The land will be reclaimed. A full-fledged inquiry will be launched, and criminal action will follow,” he said.
He challenged the BJP to oppose what he described as “daylight robbery of public assets.” If the government were sincere, he argued, it would resume the entire land bank and use it for public welfare — constructing houses for the poor, developing parks, setting up hospitals, or auctioning it transparently to bolster government coffers.
“But this 30 percent regularisation business reeks of rank corruption,” he said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
