HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday clarified that the 400-acre land parcel in Gachibowli, claimed by opposition parties to belong to the University of Hyderabad (HCU), had never been HCU’s property and is now being utilised for state development.
Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister stated that the land had been under the control of a private individual named Billi Rao for the past 25 years. The land was originally allotted to a private company by the government over two decades ago. However, the Congress-led government in 2006 cancelled the allotment, leading to a prolonged legal battle that continued in court for years.
Revanth Reddy criticised the previous BRS government for taking no action to reclaim the land during its 10-year tenure after the formation of Telangana. He stated that the current Congress government pursued the matter in the Supreme Court and successfully regained the land from private hands.
Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, the Chief Minister clarified that the land was never part of the University of Hyderabad’s property. “Some leaders are misguiding the public by labelling it as HCU land and obstructing development,” he said.
He informed the House that the land has now been officially allocated to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TIIC) for industrial and IT-related development. He mentioned that a layout plan is being prepared to attract companies and investments to the area.
Regarding environmental concerns, Revanth Reddy acknowledged that a portion of the land includes reserve forest area. However, he dismissed circulating rumours about wild animals like lions or tigers being present there, calling such claims unfounded attempts to halt development efforts.
“This land will be fully developed and utilised for Telangana’s progress,” the Chief Minister asserted.
