Incomplete 2bhk dignity houses built in Bojagutta slums.
Hyderabad: There is a similarity between Adivasis and basti dwellers in cities like Hyderabad—while Adivasis protect forests, basti dwellers protect vacant government lands from encroachment. Yet, both are viewed with suspicion and regularly face eviction threats.
In 2017, residents of Bojagutta Basti near Mehdipatnam were relieved after a court ordered the arrest of an MLC claiming land ownership. Many had applied for regularisation under GO Ms No. 58 issued on December 30, 2014. However, the BRS government later announced a 2BHK dignity housing project for around 2,000 families across three colonies—Vivekananda Nagar, Sriram Nagar, and Shivaji Nagar—on the Bojagutta hillock.
This led to a divide among residents—some supported the 2BHK project, others pushed for regularisation under GO 58. Conflict erupted, homes were damaged, arrests were made, and some residents approached the High Court. Around 500 families from Vivekananda Nagar vacated and shifted to rented homes.
Although construction began, it remained incomplete for years. Recently, after intervention by Nampally MLA Majid Hussain, work resumed on 13 unfinished G+3 blocks to house 500 families. These are being built by the same contractor using 2016 estimates.
Allotment letters were previously given to 650 families in Vivekananda Nagar, 537 families in Shivaji Nagar, and 398 families in Sriram Nagar.
According to Telangana Housing Corporation Limited superintendent M Venkat Das Reddy, all the houses would have been completed during the previous government, if all the basti people had vacated their units in 2017 itself.
He told Siasat.com that it was a few basti leaders who had constructed multiple houses and had given them on rent, who were insecure and approached the court with the support of the local BJP corporator Devara Karunakar, who passed away.
“We had also asked those who agreed to vacate to temporarily go and stay in JNNURM houses lying vacant in Ameenpur, but they didn’t go there,” he recalled.
Reddy said that regularisation of the dwelling units through GO 58 wasn’t tenable in the court, as it doesn’t implicitly empower the government to regularise them. He said that the leaders managed to prevent the case from coming to the bench all these years.
“Now that the case has been entrusted to the advocate general, we can expect the order soon. Once the order comes in the government’s favour, all the basti people will be evicted to facilitate the construction of all the blocks as originally planned,” he hoped.
However, a majority of the basti people are still demanding that the state government to regularise their dwelling units, so that they can construct their own houses under the Indiramma Housing scheme, or otherwise.
According to the Basti residents, before the 2023 assembly elections, the present chief minister A Revanth Reddy, had visited Bojagutta and promised the Basti people that they would be issued pattas for their houses if Congress came to power.
The Basti people said that the chief minister gave the assurance at a public meeting held in Charminar, and also on the floor of the assembly.
However, the state government’s attempts to get the case filed by the basti people in the High Court present a picture in contrast.
Venkat Das Reddy told Siasat.com that there was no policy decision taken by the government to regularise and issue pattas to basti people, whether in Bojagutta or elsewhere.
“If they are issued pattas, they may not conform to the GHMC’s rules for construction like leaving setback and certain restrictions. The basti will remain the same,” Reddy felt.
A few months ago, the then Hyderabad collector Anudeep Durishetty, along with the housing and revenue officials held a meeting with the basti people in Bojagutta, where the administrators told them that the state government wanted to construct towers for them with all facilities including a swimming pool.
The basti people were known to have asked the officials if they wanted the swimming pool to be used for cleaning the kids’ buttocks after they take a dump. The basti people insisted that they be issued pattas for their dwelling units. The matter was left there.
Venkataiah, a resident of Sriram Nagar, has been living there for more than 4 decades. He recalls the days when there were no colonies around Bojagutta.
“Flood waters from the Mehdipatnam Garrison used to flow from here. We used to catch fish from those waters and eat inside out huts,” he reminisces.
He tells Siasat.com that there were initially 120 families in Shivaji Nagar, 250 in Sriram Nagar, and 350 in Shivaji Nagar in the early 1990s when the bastis were formed.
“Subramanyam, who was the collector then, wanted to issue pattas to the residents. The list was prepared, and except for 50 families, all the others were going to get pattas. One of the basti leaders named Krishnamurthy, who was among those 50, had objected and convinced everyone to accept pattas only if those 50 families were also issued pattas. That was how that chance was missed,” Venkataiah recalls.
It was these basti people who have protected Bojagutta and its adjoining areas from being encroached for all these decades.
After losing 15 acres to encroachers over the past decade or so, Bojagutta is presently left with only 45 acres. Out of this, the three bastis are spread across 38 acres.
Having lost hope and in desperation, the basti people are presently in a situation where they are ready to settle for 40 sq yd land for regularisation, though GO 58 empowers the government to “consider assigning the land up to 125 Square Yards covered by a dwelling unit for persons below poverty line on free-of cost-basis.”
However, there are certain conditions for the assignment of unobjectionable government land and surplus land under the urban land ceiling.
Around 9,000 applications were received for the regularisation of lands under GO 58. However, passports were not issued after verification.
During the BRS government, 2BHK houses were constructed in 20 sites in and around Hyderabad.
According to Venkat Das Reddy, across the state, the Centre had sanctioned 2,30,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), out of which 1,61,000 houses have been completed. Among these, 1,28,000 houses have been allotted to the beneficiaries.
The balance 1,02,000 2BHK houses have been under various stages of construction. Among these, 60,700 houses are yet to be completed in the urban areas, and 40,800 are in the rural areas.
There are certain 2BHK colonies around Hyderabad, where beneficiaries have been issued allotment letters years ago, but for some reason, despite only minor works left to be completed, work has come to a halt for the past couple of years.
One such 2BHK dignity housing colony is in Muraharipally village of Shamirpet mandal in Rangareddy district.
There are 14 blocks of G+9 towers constructed during the BRS government, containing a total of 3,500 houses. The works for the buildings have been completed, and also a 33/11 power sub-station has been constructed on its premises. There are works for elevators and electricity connections yet to be completed.
The security guard stationed there told Siasat.com that for the past two years, there has been no construction activity. The colony now looks like a ghost town, though it should have been buzzing with activity with the beneficiaries and their families.
Similarly, in Kollur dignity housing colony, there were 15,600 2BHK houses constructed during the BRS government, out of which around 7,000 houses were occupied a few months ago. Recently, the state government has been issuing allotment letters to beneficiaries from across the city to take possession of their allotted flats.
As per sources, a large number of beneficiaries from the Musheerabad assembly constituency have received allotment letters to shift to Kollur recently. Even those in bastis like Bojagutta, who were done waiting for years, have also accepted allotment letters for Kollur 2BHK colony, and at least 26 beneficiaries from Sriram Nagar have shifted there.
There were also 415 2BHK flats allotted to the evictees of the Musi Rejuvenation Project from Chaderghat and Old Malakpet in the 2BHK dignity housing colony at Chanchalguda and elsewhere.
A key concern is the large number of 2BHK houses that remain incomplete, and the uncertainty over when allotment letters will be issued to beneficiaries.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) scheme is set to lapse in December 2025, making it crucial for ongoing constructions to be completed within the deadline.
According to Venkat Das Reddy, the state government recently directed the collectors and municipal commissioners of various municipal corporations to submit the detailed project reports (DPR) for the next phase of housing colonies, so that they could be submitted to avail the Centre’s scheme for urban housing.
Whatever could be the plan of the state government, what is clear is that in the future, there will be only in-situ development of bastis, and no pattas will be issued, as apparent from the policies of successive governments.
This post was last modified on July 12, 2025 12:28 pm