Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has given the state government one last opportunity to clarify its intentions regarding the proposed Hyderabad Pharma City project in Yacharam mandal of Rangareddy district.
The court has instructed the principal secretary of the revenue department to submit detailed information by September 20, 2024.
This directive comes in response to a petition filed by farmers from Medipally village, who have raised concerns about the actions of revenue authorities in relation to the land acquisition for the project.
The farmers allege that officials are obstructing their access to land that falls within the proposed Pharma City area, despite a previous ruling from the High Court that annulled the notification for land acquisition.
The court is seeking clarity on two key issues: whether the state government plans to proceed with the Pharma City proposal and if it has decided to withdraw from the project, what it intends to do with the land that has already been acquired from the farmers.
In 2023, the Telangana High Court annulled the notification for the acquisition of farmers’ lands intended for the proposed Pharma City. Despite this ruling, the farmers reported that authorities were not updating their land details in the revenue records, which hindered their access to agricultural inputs, credit support, and full ownership rights.
The petitioners expressed their concerns about being deprived of these essential resources.
Ch Ravi Kumar, the counsel representing the farmers, highlighted statements made by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, asserting that the Congress government would not establish the Pharma City.
He also referenced the party’s election manifesto, which promised the cancellation of the previous government’s Pharma City plan. In response, the government’s special counsel, Adepu Divya, informed the court that instead of the Pharma City, a life sciences park would be developed on the acquired lands.
History of the project
The Hyderabad Pharma City was envisioned as a significant pharmaceutical industrial park, covering 19,333 acres across the Kandukur, Yacharam, and Kadthal mandals of Rangareddy district.
The project was expected to attract substantial investment, estimated at $9.7 billion, and create approximately 560,000 jobs.
However, it has faced considerable opposition from local farmers and environmental activists, who are concerned about the potential impact on the surrounding ecosystem, which has already been affected by existing pharmaceutical factories in Hyderabad.
