Exclusive industrial estate, IT corridor for Muslims in Telangana: KCR

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has decided to develop an exclusive industrial estate and IT corridor for Muslims.

The decision was taken on Monday by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at a meeting with senior officials and Muslim leaders.

It was also decided to construct the Hyderabad International Islamic Cultural Convention Centre on 10 acres of land in Kokapet here. The Chief Minister directed that work on the project should commence in three weeks.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Charminar and its surrounding area will be developed like the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said a 42 km stretch along the Musi river will be developed like the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat. He asked officials to make arrangements for plying metro and nano rail along the Musi riverbank.

Deputy Chief Minister Mahamood Ali, Ministers K.T. Rama Rao and Etela Rajender, AIMIM President and Hyderabad Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM Legislature party leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, state Chief Secretary S.P. Singh, Government Advisor A.K. Khan and other senior officials attended the meeting.

KCR said all the development schemes initiated by the government should benefit the minorities. For the self-employment of the minority youth, subsidy to units worth Rs one lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh will be given without having any link with the banks.

The Chief Minister said that minorities should have 10 per cent quota in the double bedroom housing scheme.

Also, tests for recruitment to government jobs will be conducted in the Urdu language along with English and Telugu.

“Minorities in large numbers are in the State like the SCs and STs. Muslims are in majority among the other minorities. There is abject poverty among the minorities like in the SCs and STs. During the separate statehood movement on several occasions I told that once the Telangana state is formed, there would be light in the lives of minorities. After the formation of the state, the government has given top priority for the development and welfare of the minorities and we have increased the budgetary allocations. We are implementing new programmes. We should spend the funds to the minorities as we are doing for the SCs and STs. If all the communities in the Telangana state prosper there would be a comprehensive development. Even if one community lags behind it cannot be called the comprehensive development,” the CM said.

Asaduddin Owaisi lauded KCR and said, ”This TRS government headed by KCR @TelanganaCMO is a TEZ govt within 2 hours of KCR assurance GO.”