KTR livid at Centre's decision to scrap ITIR project for Hyderabad

Hyderabad: IT and Industry Minister KT Rama Rao has taken serious objection to the Union government's decision to scrap the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) project for Hyderabad. He said that the BJP-led government was indulging in cheap politics. The minister demanded the Centre to tender apologies to the Telangana youth for failing to deliver on the promise.

He alleged that the BJP has no proper policy for skill development and job creation in the country and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the loss incurred by Hyderabad due to scrapping of the ITIR project. Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced in Parliament that ITIR project for Hyderabad was scrapped.

KTR come down heavily on the Centre for claiming to have sanctioned other projects, which were on par to compensate the ITIR Project. "The BJP government had cheated the people of the country yet again", he said "It is in the BJP party's DNA to easily lie about anything and the Union Minister has effortlessly done the same now." The Centre had scrapped the ITIR project because TRS was politically opposing the Centre.

Due to scrapping of ITIR project, the Telangana IT sector had lost a great opportunity to grow further, he said, adding "there's no contribution from the Union government in the tremendous growth of IT sector in Hyderabad". In 2008, the Centre had proposed the ITIR project for Hyderabad and the same was approved in 2013.

The minister said, along with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, he had also personally made multiple requests to the PM and other Union ministers during their every visit to New Delhi about the ITIR project. Telangana IT ecosystem would have grown by leaps and bounds had the ITIR been implemented, KTR said.

He slammed the BJP-ruled States, like Gujarat and UP. receive huge funds under various Central schemes. But when it comes to Telangana, every rupee is counted and shown as a reason to scrap projects. What has the Modi government given to Hyderabad as a replacement for the ITIR project? The PM must reply," demanded the minister. Recently the Centre sanctioned software parks to UP, MP, Gujarat, Karnataka, HP, Haryana, AP, Odisha, Bihar, Punjab, Jharkhand and Kerala. but Telangana was deprived again, he said.