BJP demands land-use freedom for farmers near ORR

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana unit on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) urged Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to direct the Telangana government to revise the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) master plan and allow conversion of farmers’ lands within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) into residential and mixed-use zones.

The party also sought similar flexibility for farmers owning lands outside the ORR, requesting that they be allowed to change land-use zones based on their needs. A delegation led by Medchal Urban district president S. Malla Reddy, along with rural district president B. Srinivas and Sangareddy district president G. Anji Reddy, met the Governor and appealed for simplification of the land-use conversion process.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the party leaders demanded that lands adjacent to the ORR be provided with service roads. They also called for expediting building permissions and highlighted the need for road over bridges at ORR service roads in Gowdavelli, Ghatkesar, Shamshabad and Nagulapally.

Nearly 50,000 small and marginal farmers affected

Mr. Malla Reddy pointed out that land-use zones have remained unchanged for the past 13 years, with lands owned by small and marginal farmers classified under “conservation zones”, restricting construction. This, he said, has adversely affected nearly 50,000 people.

In contrast, he alleged that lands owned by influential individuals fall under residential or multiple-use zones, enabling the construction of multi-storeyed buildings. “Why can’t farmers decide land-use zones beneficial to them? Why are restrictions imposed on their lands when villages around the ORR have already been turned into municipalities?” he asked.

The BJP leaders also noted that the government is allowing industrial lands to be converted into residential, commercial and mixed-use categories under the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy. They argued that similar benefits should be extended to farmers. Emphasising the need for equitable land-use policies, they called for urgent amendments to the HMDA master plan to address farmers’ concerns.