Hyderabad, May 21, 2026 – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has amplified its critique of the Telangana government's land development policies, particularly concerning areas adjacent to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The party alleges a disparity in how industrial lands are being repurposed compared to agricultural plots, leaving thousands of farmers facing restrictions.
The central contention is the government's approval of the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP), which permits the conversion of industrial lands within the ORR into residential, commercial, and mixed-use zones. The BJP argues that a similar flexibility is denied to farmers, impacting nearly 50,000 small and marginal landholders. They are demanding an urgent review of the HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) master plan to address these perceived inequities.
The BJP's memorandum to the Governor details several demands:
Expedited building permissions for farmers.
Provision of service roads along the ORR for adjacent lands, mirroring benefits given to industrial plots.
Urgent amendments to the HMDA master plan to facilitate farmers' concerns.
Simplification of the zone conversion process for agricultural lands.
Allowing farmers outside the ORR to change the zoning for at least five acres of their land.
The establishment of road over bridges at specific ORR service roads in Gowdavelli, Ghatkesar, Shamshabad, and Nagulapally.
BJP leaders point to numerous villages within and outside the ORR limits where farmers are reportedly denied permissions to build even their own homes due to their land being classified under zones like Conservation, Public/Semi-Public, Recreation, Open Space, Traffic, Transport, and Peri-Urban. Simultaneously, approximately 10,000 acres of land in industrial areas such as Balanagar, Sanathnagar, and Patancheru are being converted into multiple-use zones, a move the BJP decries as creating opportunities for illicit financial gains.
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RRR Alignment Also Under Scrutiny
Separately, a BJP Member of Parliament, K Laxman, previously raised concerns about the alignment of the Regional Ring Road (RRR). He had called upon Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to reconsider the northern section's alignment, arguing that its proximity to the ORR, unlike the southern section, could lead to the displacement of farmers and create inconsistencies in land acquisition processes. This issue was highlighted during a protest in the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district.
The party’s stance suggests a broader concern over land use planning, where the transformation of industrial zones is perceived as benefiting commercial interests while agricultural land remains under restrictive classifications.
