BRS govt lying on Central funds to ITIR, says Raghunandan Rao

Hyderabad: The BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao on Tuesday lashed out at Information Technology Minister K T Rama Rao for making baseless allegations against the Centre over depriving the state of the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) to Hyderabad.

Addressing media, he said that the proposed ITIR was to be developed in two phases and the proposal of the ITIR has definite timelines and the work has to be done by the Centre and the State government, as per the timelines of the project. However, the Centre has been fulfilling its part of works that includes the release of funds but the State government has failed to fulfill its part of executive works and yet the BRS government has been making false propaganda to sully the image of the Centre. He demanded KTR come for an open debate on the ITIR or release a whitepaper on the ITIR.

Raghunandan recalled that the then UPA government had sanctioned ITIR to Hyderabad, along with two more in the country. The Hyderabad ITIR was intended to be developed in two phases.

He said that the cost of the provision of internal infrastructure is proposed to be met by the State government through the regular budgetary provisions of infrastructure-providing agencies such as TGTRANSCO, TGGENCO, HMDA, GHMC, HMWS&SB, etc. Also, the share of property tax collected in ITIR and the share of development charges/land use conversion charges. Besides, the share of layout regularisation charges and share of funds generated by selling/leasing of space to the developers/ IT/ITES/EHM units' allotters in the processing area. Further, tax increment financing and seed capital from the State Government were part of its obligations.

Similarly, the provision of external infrastructure requirements such as "8-laning of Srisailam Highway connecting Chandrayangutta to Mohabatnagar, 4-laning of Srisailam Highway to Sagar Highway, NH-7 to Srisailam Highway, an extension of MMTS from Falaknuma, Upgradation of 9 Radial Roads, Metro Rail Connectivity from Falaknuma via Laxmiguda to Shamshabad International Airport for a length of about 12 km and development of eight 220 KV substations in ITIR in Phase I and Phase II of the implementation of ITIR is proposed to be the share of the Centre.