Hyderabad, March 4, 2021: Former Minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has slammed both TRS and BJP for blaming each other for cancellation of Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR).
“Both TRS and BJP have been in power in Telangana and at the Centre for the last seven years. The ITIR project was sanctioned by the previous Congress-led UPA Government in September 2013 to generate nearly 53 lakh direct and indirect jobs. Both TRS and BJP Governments have done nothing since 2014. Now TRS and BJP leaders are shamelessly indulging in blame game over cancellation of the prestigious project,” Shabbir Ali said in a media statement on Thursday.
Shabbir Ali said that the ITIR, spread over 202 square km area in and around Hyderabad, was expected to attract Rs 2.19 lakh crore investments over 25 years of the project implementation period. The first phase was proposed to be completed by 2018. However, the BJP Government at the Centre did not sanction the required funds and finally shelved the project. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao did not make a single representation with the Centre seeking funds for the ITIR. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Telangana for the first time, KCR only sought ‘his love and nothing else’ and he got what he asked for.
“As the then Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, I raised the issue in the House multiple times. However, neither CM KCR nor IT Minister K. Tarakarama Rao gave any convincing answers. The KCR Govt focussed only on projects which needed funding and could fetch huge commissions and kickbacks for TRS leaders. It paid no attention to projects like ITIR which could’ve attracted huge investments and the State Government could’ve earned revenues of nearly Rs. 30,000 Crore towards different taxes,” he said.
Shabbir Ali challenged CM KCR to show a single instance wherein he approached the Central Government seeking funds for the ITIR. He alleged that the ITIR never figured in the agenda during the meetings between PM Modi and CM KCR. Similarly, he said that the BJP leaders should stop making false promises and first make their party’s government at the Centre revive ITIR if they are sincere towards Telangana.
“It is good that both BJP and TRS leaders are exposing each other’s failures despite the fact that both are secret allies. Their statements clearly show that the Congress party had a great vision for development and its projects were aimed at creating lakhs of jobs. It was the previous Congress Government which created the entire infrastructure in Hyderabad and its surroundings by spending over Rs. 1 lakh crore in a short span. It includes Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, 163-km long Nehru Outer Ring Road, Hyderabad Metro Rail, 12-km PVNR Expressway and all other facilities which brought global recognition for Hyderabad besides attracting huge investments from multinational companies,” he said.
Shabbir Ali said people have realised that only Congress party was capable of bringing development while other parties like TRS and BJP survive only by making hollow statements and fake claims.