Kukatpally Truck Park Land | Hyderabad, Nov. 13: BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao on Friday vowed to stop the proposed auction of government land earmarked for the Kukatpally Truck Park.
He warned that the party would fight the move alongside local residents and other political parties.
Harish Rao inspected the land at Moosapet, accompanied by BRS MLAs, MLCs and other leaders. He interacted with local residents, truck drivers and workers to understand their concerns.
The BRS delegation later joined a protest organised by the BRS, CPI and CPM. Residents expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision to auction land reserved for public purposes.
Harish Rao was accompanied by MLAs Madhavaram Krishna Rao and KP Vivekananda Goud. MLCs Shambhipur Raju and Naveen Rao, along with CPI and CPM leaders, also participated.
Kukatpally Truck Park Land | BRS Questions Proposed Auction of Public Land
Harish Rao recalled that the then Congress government had attempted to sell the same land in 2013. He said BRS, CPI and CPM leaders had jointly protested against the proposal.
He recalled that the movement involved Madhavaram Krishna Rao, CPI leader K Narayana, CPM leader B V Raghavulu and MP Vinod Kumar. According to him, the united protest forced the government to withdraw its proposal.
He said the previous BRS government, led by K Chandrashekar Rao, did not sell even a square yard of the land during its ten-year tenure.
Instead, he said, the government allocated portions for public facilities. These included an HMDA nursery, an ACP police station, a traffic police station and an RTO office.
The government also provided space for an MLA camp office and continued the truck parking facility, he said.
Harish Rao alleged that the present Congress government was now attempting to sell the entire land.
He said HMDA had issued a notification on Thursday for an auction scheduled on November 27. The proposed auction covers land in Moosapet under Survey Nos. 121/P to 141, 146, 147, 155, 156 and 157.
He specifically objected to the proposed sale of the MLA camp office in Survey No. 155. He also alleged that the truck parking facility in Survey No. 156, the HMDA nursery, the RTO office and land allotted to the traffic police station were included.
Harish Rao Highlights Public Need for Truck Park
Harish Rao said the land was the only major vacant space between Kukatpally, Quthbullapur and Serilingampally constituencies.
He claimed that around 10 lakh people currently live in the surrounding area. He estimated that another 10 lakh people could settle there over the next four to five years.
He also highlighted the importance of the land for transport operations. According to him, around 500 containers are loaded daily at the nearby Indian Container Depot for export.
He said trucks are allowed into the city for only four hours daily. Therefore, drivers use the truck park to park their vehicles and rest.
Harish Rao questioned where hundreds of trucks and containers would be accommodated if the government sold the land.
He urged the government to retain the site for public requirements. He suggested constructing a hospital, park or educational institutions if the truck park proposal was not continued.
He also said the area needed additional educational facilities. Some junior and degree colleges were reportedly operating in shift systems because of a shortage of space.
Questions Land Acquisition and Legal Commitments
Harish Rao said the then Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) acquired the Kukatpally and Moosapet lands on July 5, 1982.
He claimed the authorities acquired the land from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and poor farmers. The compensation reportedly ranged from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.20 lakh per acre.
According to Harish Rao, the land acquisition order restricted housing and commercial activities on the land. He said the order permitted its use only for public purposes.
He further claimed that officials had submitted affidavits before the High Court and Supreme Court. Those affidavits reportedly committed the land to truck parking and other public purposes.
He questioned how HMDA could now auction the land for real estate development. He also alleged that the proposed sale contradicted the authority’s earlier legal commitments.
Harish Rao demanded that the government return the land to the original poor SC and ST farmers if it could not use it for public purposes.
He warned HMDA officials of legal consequences if they proceeded against the commitments made before the courts.
Harish Rao Warns Prospective Auction Buyers
Harish Rao also issued a warning to prospective bidders. He claimed that a future BRS government would not grant permissions for development on the auctioned land.
He said a BRS government would recover the land and restore it for public purposes. He urged bidders not to participate in the auction, warning them against potential financial losses.
He said the BRS, CPI and CPM would continue their joint struggle. He also threatened legal action if the government proceeded with the sale.
BRS Leader Levels Wider Land Sale Allegations
Harish Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of focusing on government land sales instead of public administration.
He alleged that the government had placed land worth Rs 1 lakh crore on the market. He further claimed that land worth Rs 26,000 crore had already been sold.
He also alleged that the government had mortgaged 400 acres belonging to Hyderabad Central University and 800 acres of HMDA land through the Bombay Stock Exchange. He claimed the arrangement helped secure a loan of Rs 20,000 crore.
Harish Rao further accused the government of paying Rs 500 crore to a Mumbai-based broker for facilitating the loan. These allegations were made by Harish Rao during the protest.
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He also questioned the proposed sale of 400 acres in Miyapur. He claimed the previous BRS government had protected the land through legal proceedings.
He alleged that the Congress government was planning to sell another 150 acres of Housing Board land in Kukatpally. He claimed these proposed sales could generate another Rs 50,000 crore.
Harish Rao also criticised the proposed HILT policy. He alleged that around 9,900 acres of industrial land in Balanagar, Azamabad and Jeedimetla were being regularised for private interests.
He warned that converting industrial land into real estate could affect thousands of workers. He questioned the future of employees if alternative industries were not established.
Harish Rao Attacks Government Over Land Policy
Harish Rao accused the Congress government of changing its position on government land sales.
He recalled Revanth Reddy’s earlier statements as PCC president. According to Harish Rao, Reddy had described government land as public wealth and warned against selling it.
He alleged that the government was now selling even small plots. He cited proposed auctions involving 484 square yards in Kapra and 302 square yards in Ameenpur.
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He questioned why the government was not using the Kapra land to construct a public hospital. He also alleged that a burial ground in Kaithalapur had recently been levelled.
Harish Rao further alleged that the government was selling Housing Board, Rajiv Swagruha, TGIIC and HMDA lands. He also referred to KUDA, assigned, university, industrial, heritage and environmental lands.
He accused the government of changing the status of evacuee properties and selling them as private assets.
He also raised concerns over registrations in lands affected by the Urban Land Ceiling and the prohibited property list under Section 22-A. He alleged that people continued to face difficulties at registration offices.
Harish Rao criticised the government’s handling of drought conditions and other public issues. He accused it of spending heavily on events while farmers and other sections faced difficulties.
He demanded the immediate cancellation of the Kukatpally Truck Park land auction. He warned that the BRS would launch a larger agitation if the government failed to withdraw the proposal. (Maxim News)
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