The residents of Mamnoor, a suburban village in Warangal, are demanding a 'residential zone' status for their 602-acre land, which has been declared 'public' and 'semi-public' zone by the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) as a part of its proposed Master Plan 2041. The plan includes a four-lane national highway and the Warangal Outer Ring Road linking Warangal to Khammam. Farmers fear losing land rights as many are still cultivating in these lands. Since Mamnoor was merged into the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation in 2015, residents claim that over 1,850 acres have been diverted for various projects since 1937.
On 14 August 2018, a delegation of the Forum for Better Warangal submitted a memorandum to KUDA, requesting to explore alternatives for the Outer Ring Road, among other suggestions. In December 2019, in what seemed to be a favourable direction, the district collector ordered KUDA officials to conduct more ground work before finalising the plan.
Telangana Government approved KUDA Master Plan
However, on 11 March 2020, the Telangana government approved the KUDA Master Plan, which implies that both the Outer Ring Road and the Mamnoor airport development projects received approval.
Later, in September 2020, former Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Dayakar Rao, stated that an additional 200 acres would be acquired for the development of Mamnoor airport, and added that the displaced farmers would receive financial compensation or alternative land, though this has yet to materialise.
International standard airport construction
The district administration tried to get extra land for establishing the proposed airport project in Mamnoor of Warangal. District Collector Praveenya discussed the matter with Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao on 24 May 2023, and he was told that at least 253 acres of land is required for building an A-320 airport.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the project site on 7 November 2024, Endowment Commissioner Konda Surekha said that the Mamnoor airport would be constructed according to international standards, including cargo handling.
Demands include alternative road plan, compensation
The state government allocated Rs 205 crore.) for acquisition of 253 acres for development of the airport on 17 November 2024, after considering the proposal made by Airports Authority of India (AAI) as per G.O. No. 43. Under this project, the existing runway will be extended from 1.8 kilometres to 3.9 kilometres, and A-320 aircraft can be operated under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). IFR are a set of aviation regulations that govern how pilots operate aircraft when relying primarily on instruments rather than visual cues. They are used during instrument flying conditions, such as poor weather or low visibility or in examining runways.
Some of the residents from the area are in support of the airport, but have been demanding an alternative road plan and fair compensation. Whereas, farmers from Gunturpally have warned that unless the compensation is revised upward, they will not allow authorities to take possession of their land.
Over 40 farmers are demanding per-yard compensation based on current market rates, estimated at Rs 4 crore per acre, with a total of about 70 acres involved.
On 6 January 2026, the state government handed over 950 acres of land to the Airport Authority of India to review the Mamnoor airport project, with the project expected to begin by first take-off in late 2027.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Demand for more compensation than promised
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for area to be declared residential zone
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2041
Whether the Project has been Delayed
No
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
147.4
Type of investment:
Investment Expected
Year of Estimation
2018
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Other, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA), Municipal Administration & Urban Development authority (MA&UD)
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Farmers, village residents
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Shivam is an activist. He writes on issues affecting marginalised communities. He has completed his graduation from the University of Hyderabad and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Sociology.
