Sridhar Babu rejects KTR’s land allocation allegations
HYDERABAD: IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday said there was no truth in KT Rama Rao’s allegations that the state government had allotted land to the chief minister’s brothers.
Sridhar Babu said the government had allotted land at ₹1.5 crore an acre, compared with ₹30 lakh an acre during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime. He asked KTR to explain whether companies that paid kickbacks during the BRS regime had been given land and why land was allotted at lower prices.
Speaking informally to reporters at the Congress Legislature Party office on Tuesday evening, Sridhar Babu said the land allotment process for the company at Raviryal, which KTR had questioned, was transparent.
“The land allotment process for the company at Raviryal that KTR is alleging about was not conducted secretly. The lands were allotted with the approval of the Consultative Committee on Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (CCESDM) and with complete transparency,” he said.
Minister says company paid ₹7.5 crore for allotted land
“The company paid ₹7.5 crore. It was not given even one rupee less than the amount fixed by the committee. If anyone has doubts, the BRS has complete freedom to lodge a complaint. A total of 32 applications were received, and this was one of the companies. This company has no connection with the chief minister’s brothers,” he said.
Sridhar Babu said the initial investment of a company could be lower and questioned KTR’s description of a company being set up on five acres with an investment of ₹34 crore as a ₹200-crore company.
He also said the tender process for the PM Eakta Mall was transparent and that its construction was being taken up according to the rules of the Trade Promotion Corporation.
“We strongly condemn KTR’s comments, which appear to have a hidden agenda of preventing industries from coming to Telangana. I am not the kind of person who takes decisions in my department based on what someone else tells me. I know every decision taken in my department,” he said.
The minister said the government would order an inquiry into land allotments made during the BRS regime.
Cabinet meeting to be held at Secretariat on August 14
Sridhar Babu said the state cabinet would meet at the Secretariat at 10.30am on August 14.
He also condemned allegations made by BJP MLA Maheshwar Reddy against Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s family.
“If you say money was collected as a percentage while sanctioning bills, you should show proof,” he said.
The minister said the government was considering bringing a Bill to deal with hate speech on social media. “We are looking at bringing a Bill on hate speech made on social media. We will discuss the issue in the next Assembly session,” he said.
