Harish Rao opposes oilfed land transfer

Writes to CM over oilfed land

Metro India News | Hyderabad

Former minister and BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao on Sunday wrote an open letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, strongly opposing the reported move to hand over valuable Telangana Oilfed land at Azamabad to a private individual. Harish Rao said the Congress government was turning government land into a source of benefit for private individuals instead of protecting public assets. He said the Azamabad land issue raises serious questions about the government’s intentions and demanded that the decision be stopped immediately.

The land in Azamabad Industrial Area near RTC Cross Roads measures 15,984 square yards. The property has a long history going back to 1954. It was originally leased to a private company for running an oil mill. The company later violated the lease conditions and the lease was cancelled by the government in 1974. The private company challenged the decision in the courts and went up to the Supreme Court. According to the 1987 Supreme Court judgment, the company was left with only 1,277 square yards. The remaining 15,984 square yards was taken back by the government and handed over to Oilfed through G.O. No. 93 in 1991.

Since then, Oilfed, now Telangana Oilfed, has been in possession of the land for more than three decades and has been using and protecting the government property. Harish Rao said there was also a later attempt to revive the cancelled lease through G.O. No. 366 in 2003. The government itself issued a show-cause notice in 2015 asking why the GO should not be withdrawn.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? The people of Telangana deserve a clear answer,” Harish Rao said. He questioned the reported proposal to give only around 1,800 square yards to Oilfed and hand over the remaining land to a private party.

“On the open market, this land is worth around Rs 500 crore. Why is the government trying to give it away for just Rs 87 crore? More importantly, Oilfed itself is ready to pay Rs 87 crore to the government and has even kept the money ready through fixed deposits for securing freehold rights. When the government’s own organisation is ready to pay, why is the government choosing a private individual instead?” he asked. Harish Rao said the government should strengthen public sector institutions and protect their assets instead of transferring valuable government properties to private persons.