WARANGAL: Hundreds of farmers from Gunturpally village in Warangal district staged a protest on Tuesday, disrupting efforts by officials to survey the land for the construction of Mamnoor airport.
The survey, led by Warangal revenue divisional officer (RDO) A Satyapal Reddy and Fort Warangal tahsildar B Nageshwar Rao, met with strong resistance from the villagers who fear losing their primary road connectivity.
The expansion project threatens to cut off access to Nakkalapally, Gadipally, and Warangal city, leaving villagers concerned about their daily commute and livelihood. On learning of the survey, farmers and residents, including both men and women, rushed to the site to prevent the officials from proceeding.
D Geetha, a resident, voiced the community’s frustration. “Parkal MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy has promised compensation, but no alternative road has been arranged. How can we sacrifice our agricultural land and livelihood? It’s unfair for elected representatives to impose decisions without providing proper solutions,” she said.
K Nageshwar, a farmer, echoed these concerns, highlighting the lack of transparency. “The authorities haven’t shared roadmaps or alternative routes. The airport runway will completely block the way to our village. Without a proper road, we will be forced to take a long detour through Bollikunta, Shambhunipet, and Rangashaipet to reach Warangal. We demand fair compensation and a direct access road,” he said.
In an attempt to address the villagers’ grievances, RDO Satyapal Reddy assured them that Warangal district collector Dr Satyasharada and MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy would soon resolve the compensation and road connectivity issues. However, these assurances failed to placate the protesters, who raised slogans against the state government and continued to demand a more satisfactory resolution.
As tensions rose, the RDO and the tahsildar went back to the district collector’s office. Police personnel, including East Zone DCP P Ravinder, ACP Kiran Kumar, ACP Sateesh Babu (Parkal), and other officers, stayed put there. Later, they urged the villagers to disperse, citing a lack of permission for the demonstration, after which the crowd eventually left the area.
According to sources in the Warangal administration, an alternate road connecting Gunturpally to the Khammam-Warangal highway already exists.
However, villagers are adamant about having a direct route through the airport’s surrounding area.
Officials revealed that on March 9, ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Konda Surekha, and Revuri Prakash Reddy will visit the site to discuss the issues with farmers and residents.