Harish Rao Urges Revanth Reddy to Cancel Azamabad Oilfed Land Deal

BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao on Sunday demanded that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy immediately cancel the proposed allocation of 15,984 square yards of Telangana Oilfed land at Azamabad, near RTC Crossroads in Hyderabad, to a private party.

In an open letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Harish Rao urged the state government to grant freehold rights over the parcel to Telangana Oilfed instead. He stated that the prime property is estimated to be worth around Rs 500 crore in the open market, questioning the decision to transfer it to a private entity for Rs 87 crore.

Harish Rao highlighted that Oilfed was prepared to pay the Rs 87 crore sum for the property, but the state government chose to hand it over to a private buyer. He questioned the rationale behind denying the state-owned undertaking the opportunity to retain its land.

According to Harish Rao, the land measures three acres and 23 guntas, or 15,984 square yards, and has been in the possession of Oilfed for nearly three decades. Tracing the history of the site, he noted that the original property measured 17,261 square yards and had been leased to a private company in 1954 to run an oil mill.

The government cancelled the lease in 1974 after the mill halted operations. Following a legal battle, the Supreme Court in 1987 upheld the government's rights over the property, leaving the private firm with only 1,277 square yards. The remaining 15,984 square yards was subsequently allotted to Oilfed through GO 93 in 1991.