Hyderabad:The state government has begun the allotment of developed plots to farmers who lost their land to the Hyderabad Pharma City on the city’s outskirts. On Tuesday, revenue officials conducted a draw of lots for the distribution of 121-square-yard plots to 1,052 farmers.
The revenue department has devised a phased allotment plan, under which plots ranging in size up to 605 square yards will be assigned to a total of 3,981 farmers by Friday.
The first exercise was to allocate smaller plots of 60 square yards to 670 farmers. This will be followed by the distribution of larger plots of 181 square yards to 590 farmers on Wednesday.
N. Jagadeeshwar Reddy, revenue divisional officer (RDO) for Ibrahimpatnam, said, “The draw of lots will be held from 9 am every day, and we plan to complete the allotment process by Friday. We request all eligible farmers to reach the Pharma City layout in Meerkhanpet before 9 am.”
The layout, spread across 620 acres in Meerkhanpet village within Kandukur mandal, has over 11,500 plots ready for distribution.
Kankanala Anantha Reddy, RDO of Kandukur, said the revenue department had conducted a thorough beneficiary verification and ensured the removal of ineligible individuals from the list. “The draw of lots is being conducted in a very transparent manner. All necessary checks have been carried out,” he told the newspaper.
When asked about potential legal complications arising from the change in the use of Pharma City land for the Future City project under the Congress government, Anantha Reddy clarified, “The Pharma City project has not been scrapped. The current government has announced the Green Pharma City project as part of the Future City initiative. The lands acquired during the previous BRS government’s regime will now be repurposed for the Green Pharma City to address environmental concerns.”
The Pharma City project was initiated by the BRS government in 2017, with plans to develop it across 19,333 acres on the outskirts of Hyderabad. By 2021, over 13,500 acres had been acquired.
The government offered compensation ranging from `7.7 lakh to `12.5 lakh per acre, depending on the type of land, but faced strong resistance from farmers, who argued that the compensation was inadequate compared to prevailing market rates.
Legal battles followed, leading the High Court to direct the government to ensure fair compensation. In response, the BRS government increased the compensation for patta lands to `16 lakh per acre and pledged to allocate 121 square yards of developed plots per acre acquired to affected farmers.
Although plot allotment certificates were issued during the BRS government’s tenure, delays in layout development left farmers waiting for physical allotments. After the election of the Congress government in December 2023, the Pharma City project was redefined as part of the broader Future City plan spanning 30,000 acres, including the pollution-free Green Pharma City. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy instructed officials to expedite plot development to pacify displaced farmers.
The Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) has now completed the development of the plots. Of the 11,553 farmers eligible for allotments, 5,720 had received plot allotment certificates under the BRS regime but had not yet been handed over plots. To accommodate the remaining 5,833 farmers, the Congress government has expanded the layout by an additional 150 acres.
Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Rangareddy, whose constituency includes Yacharam mandal, said that the Chief Minister has directed that plot registrations be carried out at the Maheshwaram sub-registrar office free of cost, with the TGIIC covering the expenses.
