Curation Team
HYDERABAD: Nearly five months after announcing the Bharat Future City Development Authority (BFCDA), the Telangana govt is now grappling with legal hurdles before moving ahead with the ambitious project.
The biggest challenge is the removal of the Green Hyderabad Pharma City tag from about 20,000 acres of land in certain villages
, originally acquired by the previous BRS govt for the Pharma City project but now earmarked for the Future City. Without legal clearance, the govt cannot repurpose these lands for education hubs, health facilities, sports infrastructure, or other proposed developments, sources said.
BFCDA, set up in March this year, covers 765 square km, spanning 1.80 lakh acres across 56 villages, including Kandukur, Amangal, Kadthal, Manchal, Maheshwaram, Yacharam, and Ibrahimpatnam. Of this, around 20,000 acres were acquired—mostly in Kandukur, Yacharam, and Kadthal—for Hyderabad Pharma City, and some parcels have already been allotted to pharma companies.
Multi-sector hub envisioned
The Congress govt, however, envisions the Future City as a multi-sector hub with zones for education and universities, an AI city, health city, electronics, advanced manufacturing, sports complexes, residential townships, and entertainment. Land has already been allocated for Young India Skill University and a sports hub.
“The problem is that the land was acquired for Pharma City, and the govt had earlier informed the Telangana high court that it would be used only for green pharma purposes. If the same land is diverted for other uses, the govt has to inform the court, since cases are pending against the acquisition. Some farmers are already demanding that their lands be returned if Pharma City does not come up,” a senior Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation official said.
To resolve the issue, the industries department is studying whether land acquired under similar circumstances elsewhere in the country has been legally repurposed, and is also consulting both legal and industry experts.
