AAI flags encroachments on Mamnoor Airport land in Warangal
TELANGANA: Even as the state government’s land acquisition for the Mamnoor Airport project reaches the final stage, encroachments on land belonging to the Airports Authority of India have emerged as a fresh concern.
9.86 acres of AAI land found encroached
Officials have taken serious note after 9.86 acres were found encroached upon out of 706 acres owned by AAI. The issue surfaced at a time when acquisition of an additional 258 acres required for runway expansion and airport construction is nearing completion.
AAI Hyderabad regional general manager Nataraju, director V V Rao, joint director Datta and OST Pinakapani were surprised to find houses and huts on the 9.86-acre parcel located near Bestam Cheruvu Colony on the outskirts of Thimmapur village in Khila Warangal mandal. They reportedly expressed strong displeasure with revenue officials and asked them to demarcate boundaries and hand over the land at the earliest.
Revenue officials assure early handover
Despite repeated representations, the issue was not addressed, prompting AAI officials to visit Warangal city on Saturday. Along with revenue officials, they conducted a field inspection of Mamnoor Airport lands.
Revenue officials informed the AAI team that acquisition of 253 acres in Gunturupalli, Gadipalli and Nakkalapalli villages was almost complete. They said 11 houses in Gadipalli would be demolished shortly and the land handed over as soon as possible.
When AAI officials sought details of the 9.86 acres in Thimmapur, they were shown areas around Bestam Cheruvu Colony where huts and houses had already come up. AAI officials asked that the land be cleared and boundaries fixed without delay, stating that tenders for airport construction would be floated only after this process is completed.
Questions over official lapses
The complete encroachment of land recorded in AAI’s name for years has raised questions over the functioning of revenue officials. There is also discussion that municipal authorities granted building permissions without verifying survey numbers at the field level, complicating the prestigious Mamnoor Airport project.
Revenue officials declined to comment on the issue.
Discrepancies in land records
Six years ago, surveys for the new terminal building reported 706 acres across multiple survey numbers—242 to 292 in Thimmapur, 76 to 100 in Nakkalapalli, and 30 to 200 in Mamnoor. However, revenue officials now say only 686.14 acres are available.
Following questioning by airport officials, a field survey confirmed that 9.86 acres in Thimmapur were encroached upon. AAI maintains that the total extent should be 734 acres and claims that 37.26 acres are missing.
AAI has invited bids for boundary demarcation, and a consultancy firm is expected to begin marking soon to identify encroachments.
