Newsroom, December 09, 2025: The Telangana government's Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy (HILTP), unveiled to repurpose over 9,000 acres of ageing industrial land into vibrant urban zones, has ignited a firestorm, with critics slamming it as a Rs 5 lakh crore giveaway to developers while the state teeters on fiscal thin ice.
The policy targets underused estates from the 1970s Uppal, Sanathnagar, Kukatpally, Nacharam, and Hayatnagar, now swallowed by Greater Hyderabad's sprawl, allowing conversions to residential, commercial, and tech parks in exchange for a one-time development fee (50% of plot value on wide roads, 30% on narrower ones).
Proponents hail it as a pragmatic fix for obsolete factories amid rising urban demands. Still, detractors, including BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao, decry it as "huge financial irregularity," accusing the Congress regime of bypassing norms without worker safety nets or environmental studies.
The land, valued at Rs 5 lakh crore in high-demand areas like Sanathnagar (Rs 100 crore/acre), was privately acquired decades ago but remains idle due to pollution and logistical challenges.
The government defends the move as overdue, citing G.O. 20 (2013) precedents for relocating polluters to new eco-parks, with 25% retained by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) for revenue. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka dismissed naysayers as "baseless," pointing to BRS's own 200-unit relocation plans. Yet, valuation gaps e.g., Nacharam's TGIIC Rs 32,881/sq yd vs. SRO Rs 21,000, fuel suspicions of undervaluation favouring insiders.
