Harish Rao Demands Cancellation of 10.63-Acre Raidurg Land Auction

Former minister and senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Thursday demanded that the Telangana state government immediately cancel its plans to auction 10.63 acres of land located in Raidurg Panmaktha in Hyderabad. The land auction, overseen by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), is scheduled to take place on August 17 and 21.

In an open letter addressed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao stated that the proposed auction by the TGIIC involves critical issues concerning the property's heritage status, conflicting ownership claims, and pending court cases. He pointed out that the specific land parcel was officially declared a heritage site back in 2003 under GO Ms. No. 4 issued by the municipal administration department, emphasizing that the state administration bears a clear statutory responsibility to safeguard such heritage properties from commercial disposal.

Harish Rao also drew attention to Revanth Reddy's own past actions regarding the land, noting that the Chief Minister had approached the Telangana High Court in 2020 to seek protection against the creation of third-party interests in land located within the very same Survey No. 83. Harish Rao questioned how the Chief Minister, having previously raised legal objections against third-party rights on the property, could now authorize a government auction that would establish fresh third-party rights over disputed land.

The BRS leader further emphasized that the 10.63-acre land parcel remains entangled in numerous complex disputes. He pointed out that the property is subject to multiple competing ownership and legal claims, involving heritage status, revenue records, title disputes, and Waqf-related claims.

Harish Rao also linked the Raidurg land auction to what he described as a series of controversial land-related decisions undertaken by the current Congress administration. He cited ongoing disputes and issues concerning lands in Kancha Gachibowli, Lagacharla, and Maulana Azad National Urdu University, stating that the government appears to be treating valuable public land primarily as a means of generating revenue rather than protecting it as an asset belonging to future generations.