'Heritage’ land auction in Raidurg sparks controversy

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Deputy Leader in Telangana State Legislative Assembly, T. Harish Rao, on Thursday demanded an immediate halt to the proposed auction of 10.63 acres of alleged 'heritage’ land in Raidurg, a prime location in Hyderabad’s IT corridor.

The former minister alleged conspiracies to sell off lands in various locations—such as Gachibowli, Lagacharla, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University area, and Raidurg.

He alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who once delivered fiery speeches proclaiming government lands to be national assets bequeathed by predecessors, was now auctioning off land and putting public assets up for sale.

From Hyderabad Central University’s environmental lands to Raidurg’s heritage rock lands, Telangana’s precious public assets are being put at risk, alleged Harish Rao.

Condemning the move by Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) to auction 10.63 acres of 'heritage' land in Raidurg Panmaktha village on August 17 and 21, he wrote a letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy urging him to stop the auction.

He pointed out that survey No. 83 has been declared a heritage site, while competing ownership claims involving SBI and Waqf rights are already under legal scrutiny. The Supreme Court has also stressed the need to prevent the creation of third party interests while such disputes remain unresolved.

Harish Rao recalled that in 2020 Revanth Reddy had approached the courts seeking protection for these Raidurg lands. “After becoming Chief Minister, how can you now allow an auction that could create third-party rights over disputed property?,” he asked.

“The government must establish lawful ownership and protect this heritage precinct. No auction should be permitted until the title and legal status of the land are conclusively determined. I urge you to immediately stop the proposed auctions and protect these lands for future generations,” said Harish Rao.

The BRS leader wrote that proceeding with the auction in the face of such disputes would likely create irreversible third-party interests, undermining public confidence like in the case of recently stirred SBI controversy in the same survey number.

He said 6.2 acres were already auctioned for around Rs 237 crore per acre following which the SBI asserted ownership rights and the matter is currently pending before the Telangana High Court.

“Against this backdrop, proceeding with the auction of another 10.63 acres from the same disputed survey number divided into two plots of 5.25 and 5.38 acres, while ownership of the earlier parcel remains sub judice, raises serious questions of propriety, due diligence and administrative prudence,” wrote the former minister.

Harish Rao demanded a halt to sale, transfer, registration and development activity on the disputed land until ownership is legally determined.

He also demanded the preservation and investigation of any missing, misplaced or tampered records relating to heritage property, review of the earlier auction of 6.2 acres including the SBI's ownership claim and the pending High Court proceedings and an appropriate independent investigation into the reported disappearance or misplacement of Waqf records.