Azamabad land row: Harish Rao opposes reported transfer of Oilfed property

BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao alleged that the Telangana government was attempting to hand over valuable Oilfed land in Azamabad to a private party. He demanded the proposal be scrapped and sought freehold rights for Oilfed

Hyderabad: BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government was attempting to hand over valuable Telangana Oilfed land in Azamabad to a private individual.

In an open letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday, Harish Rao strongly opposed the reported move. He alleged that, instead of protecting public assets, the Congress government was turning government land into a source of benefit for private individuals.

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“The Azamabad land issue raises serious questions about the government’s intentions. The decision should be stopped and scrapped immediately,” he demanded.

The land in the Azamabad Industrial Area near RTC Cross Roads measures 15,984 square yards. The property has a history dating back to 1954, when it was leased to a private company to run an oil mill. The company later violated the lease conditions, following which the government cancelled the lease in 1974.

The private company challenged the decision in the courts and eventually approached the Supreme Court. According to a 1987 Supreme Court judgment, the company was left with only 1,277 square yards. The remaining 15,984 square yards were taken back by the government and handed over to Oilfed through GO No. 93 in 1991.

Since then, Oilfed, now Telangana Oilfed, has remained in possession of the land for more than three decades and has been using and protecting the government property, Harish Rao said.

He said there was a subsequent attempt to revive the cancelled lease through GO No. 366 in 2003. The government itself issued a show-cause notice in 2015, seeking to know why the GO should not be withdrawn. In 2022, the High Court directed the government to take a final decision on the matter.

“Despite the court orders and the government’s own records, why is the present government trying to give this valuable land to a private individual?” Harish Rao asked.

He questioned the reported proposal to retain only around 1,800 square yards with Oilfed and hand over the remaining land to a private party.

He claimed that the land was worth around Rs. 500 crore in the open market and questioned why the government was proposing to give it away for Rs. 87 crore.

Harish Rao further said that Oilfed itself was ready to pay Rs. 87 crore to the government and had kept the amount ready through fixed deposits to secure freehold rights. When the government-owned organisation was ready to pay the amount, he asked why the government was choosing to favour a private individual instead.

“This is not just about one piece of land in Azamabad. From Kokapet and Raidurg to Kancha Gachibowli, valuable government lands are being sold or transferred in the name of auctions and allocations,” he alleged.

He demanded that the government immediately stop the proposed allocation and ensure that the 15,984-square-yard property remains with Telangana Oilfed, with appropriate freehold rights granted to the government-owned organisation.

Harish Rao also demanded a clear statement from the government on the matter. He warned that the BRS would oppose the move and continue its fight until the decision was withdrawn.