Revanth clarifies ownership of Kancha Gachibowli land, defends plans to auction

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy defends Kancha Gachibowli land auction, accusing opposition of misleading protests for political gain.

Defending his government’s plans to auction Kancha Gachibowli lands, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy dismissed protests by students, environmentalists, and opposition parties as misleading and politically motivated. He asserted that the land in question does not belong to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and accused the Opposition of attempting to hamper development efforts.

Addressing the Assembly on Wednesday, Mr. Reddy stated that the land had been allotted to a private entity 25 years ago and was never under the university’s jurisdiction. He emphasised that his government fought a legal battle in the Apex Court to reclaim the land from IMG Academies Bharat Pvt. Ltd. and subsequently transferred it to the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) for the development of world-class infrastructure. The Chief Minister said that the efforts were aimed at attracting multinational companies and boosting economic growth.

“There are no tigers or deer in that area, but some ‘foxes’ are trying to obstruct development,” he remarked, alleging that the Opposition was inciting student protests and filing Public Interest Litigations (PILs) to stall the project. He also questioned why there had been no objections when the land was originally allocated to IMG Academies under the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government.

In a direct challenge to BRS MLA T. Harish Rao, Mr. Reddy asked whether his party supported key infrastructure projects like the Regional Ring Road (RRR) and Future City, which require land acquisition. “Should land not be acquired for development? Should Telangana’s youth be denied employment opportunities?” he questioned, urging the Opposition to propose compensation measures rather than outright resistance.

Refuting speculation about byelections following the defection of MLAs, Mr. Reddy dismissed the claims as unfounded. He pointed to precedents where leaders switching parties were even inducted into the Cabinet without facing bypolls. “If the BJP has its way, Assembly elections themselves may be held in 2029 under the One Nation-One Election proposal. No member should worry; there will be no byelections,” he said, countering BRS’ assertions.

According to IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu, the land in survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli, Serilingampally mandal, Rangareddy district, was allocated in 2003 to IMG Academies Bharat Pvt. Ltd. for sports infrastructure. However, the project never materialised. The Congress government, in 2006, identified violations and revoked the allocation, a decision later upheld by the High Court on March 7, 2024. A Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by IMG Academies in the Supreme Court was dismissed on May 3, 2024.

Revenue records confirm that the 400-acre land is government-owned, with no claims from the Forest Department or any other institution. Following a new land allocation policy, the Revenue Department transferred ownership to TGIIC on June 26, 2024, and official possession was handed over on July 1, 2024.