BJP demands retired HC judge probe into HILTP, plans protest on December 7

The Telangana BJP has demanded the immediate suspension of the Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy (HILTP) and called for the constitution of a commission headed by a retired High Court judge to frame a fair land conversion policy for Hyderabad.

The party announced a mass protest at Indira Park on December 7, also opposing the State government’s decision to expand the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) by merging 27 local bodies within the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

Party president and former MLC N. Ramchander Rao accused the government of acting in favour of the real estate lobby by enabling the transfer of valuable industrial lands at throwaway prices. “Just days ago, the government auctioned an acre for over ₹150 crore on the outskirts. Now it wants to give away industrial lands at sub-registrar rates, far below market value, while denying farmers permission to convert their land. Is this governance or real estate business?” he asked.

Speaking to the media after submitting a memorandum to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, Mr. Rao urged an urgent review of the policy, sought an assessment of polluting industries, socio-economic impact on workers, actual market valuation of land parcels and consideration of farmers’ long-pending demand for land conversion.

The memorandum alleged a conspiracy to transfer public land wealth into private hands — a scam estimated at over ₹5 lakh crore. It noted that lands originally allotted at nominal prices for industrial development are now proposed to be reclassified for commercial use at only 30–50% of Sub-Registrar (SR) value, despite skyrocketing prices in Hyderabad.

According to the party, current market data values these lands at ₹65 crore per acre and selling 9,292 acres of industrial lands at market rates could fetch over ₹6 lakh crore, enough to clear Telangana’s public debt. Instead, the Government is enabling private realtors to acquire prime land at throwaway prices, it claimed.

The party said the core issue lies in adopting SR rates instead of TGIIC – Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, benchmark industrial land rates, which are three times higher—a deviation it termed central to a suspected quid pro quo. Legislature Party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy, general secretary N. Gautam Rao and others were present.