Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao questioned the Congress government’s bullet train land acquisition plan on Monday. He raised concerns over the proposed acquisition of agricultural land from farmers in Bahadurpally.
Rama Rao met farmers affected by the proposed project at Telangana Bhavan. He said the BRS did not oppose the bullet train project. However, he questioned the need to acquire farmland when government-owned land could provide an alternative.
Rama Rao pointed to land acquired for the Shamshabad airport as one possible option. He said the state had acquired around 5,500 acres for the airport and holds a 13% stake in the venture with the GMR Group. He asked why unused airport land could not support the proposed rail project.
He also questioned the reported requirement of around 1,000 acres for a single station. According to Rama Rao, the project could require a smaller extent of land for the station.
The BRS leader said many affected farmers had cultivated their land for generations. He questioned the proposed acquisition and raised concerns over the impact on their families.
Rama Rao also alleged that the government planned to acquire agricultural land at low rates for real estate interests linked to Congress leaders. These claims were part of his criticism of the proposed acquisition and were not independently established in the report.
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Rama Rao further questioned the reported deployment of around 4,000 police personnel near the affected properties. He said such a deployment raised questions about the government’s position on ownership of the land.
He also referred to earlier promises concerning land acquired for Hyderabad Pharma City. Rama Rao questioned the government’s plans for the Future City project and alleged that land-use decisions were benefiting real estate interests.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the government has been pursuing land acquisition for infrastructure linked to the proposed bullet train project near Shamshabad. Earlier, authorities identified around 650 acres at Bahadurguda for a proposed bullet train hub, prompting protests from local farmers.
More recently, reports said the government had moved to acquire additional land for the bullet train corridor and other infrastructure near the airport. One report put the broader requirement at around 1,100 acres, while another reported an initial notification for 796.28 acres.
Rama Rao urged farmers not to sign documents surrendering their land. He said the BRS would support their legal challenge and continue opposing what he called indiscriminate acquisition.
He also said the party was prepared to approach the Supreme Court if necessary. At the same time, he reiterated that the BRS supported the bullet train project itself while opposing acquisition of farmland where alternative government land was available.
