BJP alleges ‘Commission Raj’ behind Hyderabad real estate slowdown

Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Tuesday alleged that the Congress government has increased “commission percentages” and is “harassing builders”, leading to a slowdown in the real estate sector, with only a few new ventures coming up in the city. Addressing the media at the party’s Kukatpally office, Mr. Rao claimed that the government is paving the way for a large-scale real estate scam by permitting the conversion of internal industrial lands into residential zones. He said this is being done on the pretext of relocating polluting industries outside the city through the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation policy. He further alleged that the government has failed to conduct any impact assessment studies to determine how many people would lose their livelihoods or how many jobs would be created as a result of relocating these industries. Mr. Rao said the capital region is facing a looming drinking water crisis, with the Water Board unable to ensure a daily supply of potable water, forcing residents to depend on private tankers. He added that the condition of roads and footpaths is deplorable, while sanitation, including garbage clearance, has deteriorated significantly. On housing, he remarked that affordability has slipped out of reach for the common man. He accused the government of misleading citizens under the guise of the Indiramma housing scheme, just like the previous BRS government’s much-publicised two-bedroom housing programme. Opposing the proposal to split the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three units, Mr. Rao termed the move ‘unscientific’ and alleged it is intended to benefit the Majlis party. He also criticised officials for failing to provide clear maps or boundaries for the proposed civic bodies. Mr. Rao urged citizens to vote against the Majlis, BRS and Congress in the upcoming GHMC elections, accusing them of “playing with people’s lives for personal gain”. He asserted that a BJP-led administration would transform Hyderabad, citing Central schemes such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT.