From Sanctuary to Golf club: The 12-Year injustice against Golconda farmers
HYDERABAD: For the evicted farmers of Naya Qila, near Golconda Fort, the past 12 years have been a relentless struggle against what they see as a grave injustice. Their ancestral fields, seized by the government for a promised bird sanctuary, were instead handed over to a Hyderabad golf course. Stripped of their land, the farmers found themselves without work, fair compensation, or a sense of justice.
The dispute dates back to 1999, when the erstwhile Government of Andhra Pradesh acquired 52 acres of land from 54 farming families. The land was officially taken for a Bird Sanctuary, a project gazetted for public purposes. However, the compensation money was never settled with the farmers. Initially, for the Bird sanctuary, they agreed to pay Rs 80,000 per acre.
In 2002, the plot thickened as without informing the farmers, the Bird Sanctuary project was scrapped based on an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report. Soon after, the land was transferred to the Hyderabad Golf Course. “The Bird Sanctuary was a notified public purpose project. The Golf Course is not. This was a bait-and-switch tactic executed without our consent,” said Ilyas Ahmed Khan, General Secretary of the Farmers Association of Naya Qila Golconda Fort.
For generations, the farmers had nurtured this land. They rejected the compensation, insisting it was below the market price. When the Bird Sanctuary plan gave way to the Hyderabad Golf Course, the government promised new land instead of money. But on October 29, 2013, the Hyderabad Golf Association, backed by police, fenced off the area and barred the farmers, cutting them off from the soil that had sustained their families.
“The authorities used the police to take our land away from us, all for the luxurious indulgence of the city’s elite,” said Ilyas Ahmed Khan to HyderabadMail. The desperation among the farmers peaked on October 29, 2015, when, dejected by the government’s ‘callous’ attitude, Ilyas Khan attempted suicide. His public act brought immediate attention, saving his life, but the dejection within the community remains.
For years, the farmers have petitioned the government for alternative land of equivalent value, as the initially offered plots were either scattered, infertile, or too distant. A committee was formed to identify suitable land, but the government unilaterally closed the search, leading to the enforced acquisition.
A glimmer of hope emerged in June 2023 when a high-level meeting was conducted between the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Rangareddy, and the farmers’ association in the office of the Principal Secretary to the Government of Telangana. The government identified land in Kanakamamidi Village, Moinabad Mandal, for allotment to the farmers.
However, that hope is now fading due to bureaucratic delays. “Since that day, they have been delaying the delineation and handing over of the land. The issue is stuck in the Secretariat,” the farmers stated in a press release issued on Monday, as they are planning a protest on 29 October 2025, as it has been 12 years since the forceful eviction on 29 October 2023.
Mounting Discrepancies and Demands
Adding to the confusion, the farmers have pointed out a major discrepancy in government land records. While a previous sanction recorded 284 acres of available government land, a recent July 2025 survey shows only 98 acres, raising serious questions about the administration of land resources. “Is the land some sort of food which will disappear after eating?”questioned Ilyas.
The farmers have presented a three-point demand to the government, including the immediate allotment of land in Kanakamamidi Village of equivalent value to their original urban land. Compensation for loss of livelihood at Rs 4,000 per month per acre, as previously recommended by the Hyderabad District Collector in 2013. A re-examination of the major discrepancy in government land records by the Secretary of the Revenue Department and the District Collector, Rangareddy, and the issuance of an authentic report.
The farmers urge the state government to direct the Rangareddy and Hyderabad Collectors to expedite the process and submit detailed reports, so the long-delayed rehabilitation can finally proceed.
