Hyderabad: Telangana Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu on Monday clarified that the Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy (HILT-P) applies only to freehold private industrial lands. He dismissed opposition claims and said the policy does not involve government-leased properties.
Speaking at Gandhi Bhavan, the minister explained that the policy focuses on redeveloping old industrial parks and upgrading infrastructure. It allows change of land use (CLU) through a Development Impact Fee. However, it does not permit any transfer of public land.
He criticised the previous government for converting government-leased lands in Azamabad, Hafeezpet, and Balanagar into freehold plots at SRO rates. In some cases, he said, illegal occupants were allowed conversion at 200% SRO, calling the move “grossly irregular.”
HILT policy focuses on industrial revival, not land transfer
Sridhar Babu accused opposition leaders of twisting facts about the impact fee. He said the aim is to modernise industrial areas and shift polluting units to the Peri-Urban Region Economy (PURE) zone. It is not to privatise public land.
He also clarified that plots allotted by agencies like APIIC or TSIIC are sold above SRO rates. This is due to land acquisition, development, and administrative expenses. He called opposition claims of cheap allotments “baseless.”
Referring to CLU norms, the minister noted that HMDA charges ₹900 per sq. metre or ₹36 lakh per acre. This is for converting industrial plots to mixed-use. He said this rate, applied during the previous regime, is too low. He cited the SIRIS case in Saroornagar as an example.
The new HILT impact fee aligns with the earlier GRID policy. This policy required 30% of SRO value and mandated 50% land use for IT. However, he pointed out that no major development took place under that scheme since 2021.
He added that the High Court had ordered the relocation of red and orange category industries beyond the Outer Ring Road. However, the previous government ignored this order. The HILT policy, he said, will help industries comply with environmental mandates while supporting the “Blue-Green Hyderabad” initiative.
The government will soon issue detailed guidelines on incentives and timelines for the policy rollout, he said.