Farmers Stage 43-Day Protest Against Radial Road Land Acquisition for Future City, Demand Project Scrapped

The Protest: Scope and Duration

Farmers in Kurumidda village of Ibrahimpatnam constituency are continuing their 43-day protest against land acquisition for Future City radial roads, demanding scrapping of both Future City and Pharma City projects. The agitation has drawn support from women's organisations and activists. Farmers from at least four major villages—Medipally, Nanaknagar, Tatiparthy, and Kurmidda—in the adjoining Ranga Reddy district are actively putting up resistance against land acquisition for the project.

National Support and Legal Intervention

The Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM), a national level organization, visited the protest camp. Along with MAKAAM National Committee Member S Ashalatha, others interacted with farmers. MAKAAM, or Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (Forum For Women Farmers' Rights) is a nationwide informal alliance of more than 120 individuals and organisations of farming women, of women farmers' collectives, civil society organisations, researchers and activists, drawn from 24 states of India, to secure due recognition and rights of women farmers in India.

The protesting farmers from four villages had obtained stay orders from the High Court against land acquisition for laying a greenfield road project a part of the pharma city and now the Future City project. On April 27, 2026, after hearing both sides, the Court reserved its order and said the interim protection would continue until a final decision.

The Broken Promise: Congress Promises vs. Current Policy

In the run up to the 2023 assembly elections, Congress leaders including Revanth Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, Seethakka and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy marched alongside farmers and promised to cancel the Pharma City project and pledged to return the acquired lands to the original owners. During the interaction, the farmers informed them that while in opposition, Congress senior leaders extended support to their protest and assured that after coming to power, the Pharma City project would be scrapped.

The Anti-Pharma City Struggle Committee accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of going back on promises made during his padayatra against Pharma City land acquisition. Farmers protesting Future City development demanded that political leaders offer their own lands first for development projects.

Government Decision and Future City Announcement

The project has been mired in controversies from the beginning. The same land was earlier earmarked for developing Hyderabad Pharma City under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, which had notified around 19,333 acres for pharma manufacturing units, a thermal power plant and a university. Once in power, the Congress government announced the cancellation of Pharma City. Instead, a new authority, the Future City Development Authority, was constituted.

Chief Minister's Position: No Turning Back

Amid protests by farmers over land acquisition for the proposed Future City and radial roads, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made it clear that the process cannot be halted. He said all legal formalities, including notifications, have been completed. "If not today, tomorrow, the land will be transferred to the government. There is no scope to stop the process, though it may be delayed temporarily," he said. The Chief Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Future City Police Commissionerate building on Tuesday.

He acknowledged that some farmers have concerns, particularly over compensation and aspects of the Bharat Future City project. He directed elected representatives to engage with farmers, address their concerns and prevent legal disputes.

What Is Future City? Project Scope and Vision

Spanning 30,000 acres between the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar highways, the city is planned and governed by the Future City Development Authority (FCDA) under the Telangana state government. A brainchild of the Congress Chief Minister, it is also called "Fourth City", after Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Cyberabad and is positioned as a mark of his legacy. It is designed to offer a self-sustaining urban ecosystem where innovation, green energy, and inclusive growth go hand in hand.

Future City Development Authority (FCDA) will cover an extensive area of 762.28 sq. km. Future City will cover 56 revenue villages in the mandals of Amangal, Ibrahimpatnam, Kadthal, Kandukur, Maheshwaram, Yacharam and Manchala. FCDA's tasks include integrated planning, multimodal connectivity including Metro and radial roads, state-of-the-art urban amenities and the development of economic and industrial clusters. Key projects in Future City include the Young India Skill University, AI City and an education hub.

Farmer Demands and Calls for Land Offering by Leadership

Farmers from Kurumidda, Tatiparthi, Nanaknagar and Medipally had approached the court and obtained stay orders. The farmers suggested, "If our lands are required for development, then the Chief Minister and his party leaders should offer their lands to us and build new villages." Instead of appealing to small and marginal farmers owning one to two acres to sacrifice their lands in the name of Future City development, that sacrifice should begin with the Chief Minister and his party leaders. By doing so, their names would be etched in history, they urged.

Escalating Conflict: Crop Destruction Despite Court Stay

In an escalation of the long-running dispute over the proposed Hyderabad Green Pharma City project, revenue officials, Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) personnel, and police allegedly destroyed standing Jowar crops on agricultural lands in Medipally village, Yacharam mandal, Rangareddy District, in what activists say is a direct violation of existing interim stay orders issued by the Telangana High Court. Tension prevailed in Medipalli and Kurmaddi villages of Yacharam mandal in Rangareddy district when revenue officials, along with police, tried to take possession of farmers' land as part of land acquisition for the Bharat Future City project. In a video, officials with the support of several police personnel could be seen ploughing the land using a JCB. The farmers strongly resisted the action, claiming there was a stay issued by a court.

What Happens Next

As of Tuesday evening, tribal farmers near the Future City corridor continued their relay hunger strike and demanded cancellation of the Greenfield Road project and protection of their lands. The Anti-Pharma City Struggle Committee has warned that they will intensify protests if the government proceeds with acquisition without addressing farmers' concerns.

The master plan for the project is expected to be completed by Singapore-based DP Architects by December 2026. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy stated that the interests of farmers would be protected and reaffirmed the government's commitment to developing Bharat Future City into a world-class city. The stalemate between the state government's commitment to acquire land at pace and farmers' court-protected resistance remains unresolved as of July 2026.