Telangana: CM Revanth Reddy Urges PM Modi to Transfer 2,450 Acres of Defence Land to State

Historical Context: Telangana, the youngest state in India, was formed in June 2014 after bifurcation from Andhra Pradesh. Since its formation, the state has been focusing on rapid infrastructure development and addressing regional disparities. The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, laid down several promises for the newly formed state, including the establishment of educational institutions, infrastructure projects, and industrial development.

News Article: HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transfer 2,450 acres of defence land to the Telangana government. This land is intended for road expansion, infrastructure development, and other public purposes in Greater Hyderabad. In exchange, the state government has offered to transfer 2,462 acres of state-owned land to the Research Centre Imarat permanently, which is currently on lease.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, CM Revanth Reddy met PM Modi on Friday with a list of 12 requests. These included the allocation of coal blocks to Singareni, sanctioning of houses, establishment of a steel plant, an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), revival of the Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR), and grants for backward regions.

Ahead of the full Union Budget presentation, the CM emphasized the need for sanctioning houses under the PM Awas Yojana and including Telangana in the semiconductor mission. He highlighted the necessity of some defence lands for constructing two elevated corridors on the Hyderabad-Karimnagar and Hyderabad-Nagpur national highways (NH 44).

Regarding coal blocks, Revanth Reddy urged the PM to allocate them directly to Telangana’s public sector undertaking (PSU), Singareni, which has a 51% share for Telangana and 49% for the Centre. He requested the removal of the Sravanpally coal block from the auction list and the allocation of other blocks like Koyyagudem Block-3 and Sathupally Block-3 for Telangana’s power generation needs.

The CM pointed out that while the Centre’s policy is to have one IIM in each state, Telangana has not yet been sanctioned an IIM. He proposed that sufficient land is available in the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for this purpose and offered to provide alternate land if needed.

Revanth Reddy also asked for Telangana’s inclusion in the India Semiconductor Mission, noting that many companies are interested in establishing semiconductor firms in Hyderabad. On housing issues, he requested the Centre to sanction 25 lakh houses under the PM Awas Yojana over the next five years, as Telangana previously received a lower allocation due to not fitting the guidelines.

The CM called for the revival of the ITIR project for Hyderabad, initially announced by the UPA government in 2010 for both Hyderabad and Bangalore. He mentioned that the state government had identified land in three clusters for new IT companies and IT space developers.

Addressing promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, Revanth Reddy noted that instead of the promised Integrated Rail Coach Factory at Kazipet, the Centre announced a periodical overhauling workshop. He urged the PM to sanction a coach factory at Kazipet and a steel plant at Bayyaram. He also highlighted that the backward region grant fund (BGRF) was released for only two years and has been pending for the past three years, amounting to Rs 1,800 crore.

Additionally, the CM requested the finalization of tenders for the proposed regional ring road, the development of national highways in place of state highways, and the sanctioning of 24 new Navodaya schools in every district.

Summary in Bullet Points:

• Telangana CM Revanth Reddy requested PM Modi to transfer 2,450 acres of defence land for infrastructure development.
• State government offered 2,462 acres of state-owned land to Research Centre Imarat in exchange.
• CM presented 12 requests, including coal block allocation, housing, steel plant, IIM, and ITIR revival.
• Emphasized the need for houses under PM Awas Yojana and inclusion in the semiconductor mission.
• Requested direct allocation of coal blocks to Telangana’s PSU, Singareni.
• Urged sanctioning of an IIM in Telangana, offering land in the University of Hyderabad.
• Called for the revival of the ITIR project for Hyderabad.
• Highlighted unfulfilled promises from the AP Reorganisation Act, including a rail coach factory and steel plant.
• Requested the release of pending backward region grant funds amounting to Rs 1,800 crore.
• Sought finalization of tenders for the regional ring road, development of national highways, and sanctioning of 24 new Navodaya schools.