Revanth Reddy defends Kancha Gachibowli land auction, dismisses environmental concerns

He claimed his government fought a legal battle in the Supreme Court to reclaim it and had now transferred it to TGIIC for an open auction to attract multinational companies.

Hyderabad: Amid rising criticism, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy attempted to defend the Congress government‘s decision to auction Kancha Gachibowli lands for industrial development, dismissing protests by opposition parties, students and environmentalists as politically motivated. He accused critics of misleading the public and insisted that the land had no connection to the University of Hyderabad.

Addressing the Assembly on Wednesday, Revanth Reddy stated that the land was handed over to a private entity 25 years ago and was not under the University ownership.

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He claimed his government fought a legal battle in the Supreme Court to reclaim it and had now transferred it to TGIIC for an open auction to attract multinational companies.

“There are no tigers or deer in that area, but some cunning foxes are trying to obstruct development,” he remarked, dismissing environmental concerns. He alleged that opposition groups were instigating student protests and filing Public Interest Litigations (PILs) to delay the project.

To justify his argument, the Chief Minister asked why there were no protests when fraudulent firms like IMG Bharatha were given these lands during the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh rule.

“Do you oppose industrial growth? Don’t you want jobs for Telangana’s youth?” he asked, urging the opposition to suggest compensation measures rather than outright opposition.

He also asked BRS MLA T Harish Rao to clarify his party’s stance on land acquisition for key projects like the Regional Ring Road and Future City.

Revanth Reddy also brushed off speculation about by-elections in turncoat MLAs’ constituencies. Citing past precedents where leaders who switched parties were inducted into the Cabinet without facing bypolls, he said the same tradition would continue now.

“If the BJP has its way, Assembly elections themselves may be held in 2029 as part of One Nation-One Election. No member should worry, no by-elections will come,” he said, downplaying BRS’s claims of imminent bypolls following the case against the turncoat MLAs in the Supreme Court.

He attempted to clarify that the meetings with MLAs from various parties were only for their respective constituency development, but photographs and videos are being published in the media misinterpreting them as political defections.

The Chief Minister also announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to crack down on online betting, promising harsher punishments for app developers, promoters, and beneficiaries. He vowed strict enforcement of laws enacted by the previous BRS government in this regard.

Responding to concerns over a recent rape attempt on an MMTS train, he argued that crime could not be predicted, and claimed that the government had acted swiftly despite the case being under Railway Police jurisdiction.