The Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy (HILTP) is turning out to be controversial with the State Government coming under fire from Opposition parties over the manner in which the ‘underutilised’ industrial lands are sought to be transformed.
The government said that it intends to strategically convert industrial land, measuring around 9,292 acres, within and near Outer Ring Road to multi-zones integrating maximum activities, including residential, commercial, institutional, recreational and IT or IteS. The well-intentioned policy however, appears to have run into rough weather over the one-time development impact fee proposed for the exercise.
The policy gives out the details of plotted area available for conversion in different industrial projects along with the price projected by the TGIIC (per sq. yd) and values adopted by the sub registrar office (per sq. mtr) in the respective areas. In Nacharam, for instance, a plotted area of 455 acres had been listed for conversion of the total 700 acres available. The TGIIC price per sq. yd in this area is pegged at ₹32,881 per sq. yd while the SRO value is estimated at ₹21,000.
In Balanagar, the price per square yard of close to 165 acres has been pegged at ₹51,662 by the TGIIC which is more than double of the SRO valuation of ₹23,000.
The same is the case with Gandhinagar, where the TGIIC price is estimated at ₹46,895 per square yard and the SRO value was almost four time lower at ₹12,200 per square metre. Interestingly, the government had decided to adopt SRO values for conversion rather than the prices estimated by the TGIIC leading to controversy.
Given the vast extent of lands put in for conversion, and the wide variation in the TGIIC and the SRO rates, the Opposition have sensed foul play in the entire exercise.
According to BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, land value at Balanagar was over ₹1.5 lakh per sq. yd making it around ₹72 crore an acre. The Revanth Reddy led State Government however, plans to facilitate conversion by charging just 30% of the registration value against the 100 to 200% mooted by the previous BRS Government, he said.
BJP charges
BJP Floor leader in the Assembly A. Maheshwar Reddy alleged that the HILTP, which would allow conversion at just 30% of the SRO value, paves the way for land looting and it was part of the grand design by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to consolidate political power and influence within the Congress. The government could have cleared all of Telangana’s outstanding debts if it developed and sold plots through the HMDA instead, he alleged.
Ministers however, defended the policy claiming that the lands were not owned by the government and that it was decided to levy the one time charges to ensure revenue to the State exchequer.
Published – November 26, 2025 06:48 pm IST
