Published Nov 12, 2026 | 11:43 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2026 | 11:46 AM
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and G Kishan Reddy.
The Telangana government’s unseemly haste to acquire large tracts of private land for the proposed high-speed rail corridor (bullet train hub), even before the Central Government has provided any clarity, is raising several uncomfortable questions rather than clarifying its real intentions.
The plan is for the high-speed rail corridor to link Hyderabad with Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune. Neither has a DPR (Detailed Project Report) been prepared nor have the alignments for the three corridors been finalised.
Yet, the State Government issued a public notification in September 2026, seeking to acquire more than 1,100 acres in Bahadurguda, Rayakunta, Gollapalli Kurdh and Sayyedguda villages in Shamshabad mandal.
G Kishan Reddy, who represents Telangana in the Union Ministry, made it clear in unambiguous terms that any land acquisition being undertaken in the name of the proposed “Hyderabad-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Pune high-speed rail corridors” without an official requisition from Railways is “illegal”.
In a social media post after a meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, he asserted that no requisition for land acquisition had been sent to the respective State governments for the three corridors. That was on October 10, 2026.
Now comes the twist. In a DO (Demi-Official) letter dated October 30, 2026, addressed to the Railway Minister, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) communicated in May 2026 the proposed alignments of the corridors and sought the State’s consent for the same.
In the letter (HCM-DCO/027/PSCM (SR)/2026), the Chief Minister said he had personally reviewed the alignments for the three corridors and suggested certain modifications so that the corridors serve as the “growth centres of the State” and the right of way along the Outer Ring Road is used efficiently.
According to the letter, all three corridors have been planned to converge at a common Hyderabad HSR station at Shamshabad adjoining the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (see the copy of the letter here). The State Government has earmarked 400 acres at Shamshabad for the HSR station and Operations Control Centre and has notified an additional 1,127 acres in Shamshabad mandal for an “Integrated Mobility Hub”.
“The State will assist in land acquisition, forest clearances and utility shifting, and will incorporate the alignments in the Master Plans once NHSRCL conveys its final approval,” the Chief Minister said in the letter to Vaishnaw.
This being the stated position, the question that begs an answer is why the State Government is going ahead with land acquisition even before the modified alignments, as suggested by the Chief Minister, have been approved by the NHSRCL and the Railway Ministry.
It all started some months ago when government officials, aided by a large contingent of police force, made efforts to dispossess occupants of “assigned lands” in Bahadurguda village for the proposed bullet train hub. However, they approached the Telangana High Court and obtained stay orders. The government made other attempts to fence similarly situated lands, but the court granted status quo.
The administrative juggernaut got into the act, and the speed with which the file moved raises questions about the motives.
On August 14, 2026, the Collector of Ranga Reddy district sought permission from the Transport Department for acquisition of 1,127 acres in the four villages mentioned above for the “Mobility Hub.” Significantly, the Collector also sought exemption from the mandatory “social impact assessment and determination of public purpose.” Within one day, the Chief Engineer concerned requested the government to “examine and issue necessary exemption.”
The very next working day, August 17, the Transport Department issued GO Ms No. 42 exempting the proposed acquisition from “social impact assessment.” However, the GO does not provide any information about the detailed project report (DPR), cost-benefit analysis, the need to acquire 1,127 acres or why public interest demands that the acquisition be exempted from social impact assessment or determination of public purpose.
This, despite a recent observation by the Telangana High Court that prior and mandatory social impact assessment and determination of public purpose constitute “the heart of statutory framework and represent the Legislature’s attempt to ensure that acquisition remains a measure of last resort rather than a matter of administrative convenience.”
After the issuance of GO 42, in early September, the Collector issued the preliminary notification to acquire various extents of land, inviting owners to consent to a negotiated price without disclosing any rate. Landowners affected by the notification have taken the matter to the High Court, where the challenge is being heard.
Why this tearing hurry to acquire land without following established norms, even before the State obtains consent/approval from the NHSRCL for the modified alignments or the mobility hub, remains the million-dollar question.
And it happens to be in a State ruled by the Congress, the architect of the changes made to the Land Acquisition Act to protect the interests of landowners, even as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi cries out against “bulldozer” raj at frequent intervals.
Also Read:
The bullet train as optics: Questions Hyderabad’s high-speed rail push leaves unanswered
Hyderabad’s bullet-train push: Whose sacrifice is it? For whose benefit?
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
