Farmers Betrayed

Land taken for highway, no compensation

metro india news  I hyderabad

Islavath Raju, a tribal farmer from Marlakunta Thanda in Yacharam Mandal, Ranga Reddy District is a worried man and has not slept well for days. The Telangana Government has taken away 4 acres of the 28 acres patta land his family owns with a promise that a compensation of Rs 36 lakh per acre would be paid but till date he has not received any amount. What is even more worrisome is the fact that in spite any compensation, revenue officials have marked boundaries on his land and construction work for the highway has already begun.

The land was taken for the construction of the Greenfield Highway — part of the ambitious Future City project (formerly Pharma City). Like him, there are hundreds of farmers in Ibrahimpatnam and Kandukur revenue divisions of Ranga Reddy District who are facing a similar predicament.

The Telangana government is constructing a 40-km-long Greenfield Highway with a width of 330 feet as part of the Future City project. For the first 18 km stretch alone, the government has issued notifications for acquiring around 1,100 acres.

According to the farmers, there have been no gram sabhas conducted, no social impact assessment, no compensation paid so far and threats and intimidation using police presence. Instead of the 2013 Act, which mandates higher compensation (at least four times the market value in rural areas), proper rehabilitation, and transparent processes, officials are allegedly proceeding under the amended law that removed many protective clauses.

Huge disparity in compensation

Land prices in the region have skyrocketed after Telangana’s statehood.  A farmer stated, “In Yacharam Mandal, particularly in areas earmarked for Future City/Pharma City, an acre of land near roads is valued between Rs 1 crore and Rs 3 crore in the open market. Yet, officials are offering only Rs 36 lakh per acre for patta land — an amount farmers describe as grossly inadequate.”  

During the elections, Congress manifesto promised to bring back the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and ensure justice for those losing land. However, after forming the government, the Congress administration is reportedly continuing with the 2016 amendment Act (Act 21 of 2017), which removed key safeguards such as mandatory social impact assessment, minimum consent requirements (80% for government projects, 70% for PPP) and higher compensation norms.

Many affected farmers have approached the courts, but on the ground, the project continues at a brisk pace. Farmers are demanding land-for-land compensation instead of cash, especially since the project is being developed under public-private partnership models, where affected persons are usually entitled to a share in the developed land. 

This situation has left hundreds of farming families distraught, including tribal cultivators like Islavath Raju, in deep distress and anger. They accuse the government of betraying its own election promises and violating both the spirit and letter of fair land acquisition laws while pushing development projects at the cost of the poor and marginal farmers.