B3 Bungalow Residents Oppose Land Takeover

Hyderabad: Families living in the B3 bungalows area of Secunderabad Cantonment have urged the government to rethink the land acquisition plans tied to the JBS-Shamirpet elevated corridor project. While they supported the infrastructure upgrade, residents said the plan, as it stood, now threatened their homes and livelihoods.

The corridor, part of the larger JBS-Shamirpet-Medchal route, includes proposals to widen the adjacent service roads to 200 feet. This would impact around 73 acres, including private land and defence areas, and could displace nearly 1,000 families, including 40-50 households living in the B3 bungalows.

“We’ve lived here for three generations. This is more than land; it’s our life,” said Vishal Ranjan, an affected resident. Most families come from lower-middle-class backgrounds and said they could not afford to buy or build homes elsewhere.

The HMDA had initially proposed a 200-foot-wide service road and later revised it to 150 feet after public opposition. Residents insist that was still too wide. Their key demands: limit the expansion to 100 feet and provide alternative land, not just financial compensation.

“Cash can’t rebuild a life,” said Satish Gupta, president of the joint action committee (JAC) that is heading the agitation. “If land is taken, land should be given. Equal value, equal respect.”

In recent weeks, residents met Hyderabad additional collector Mukunda Reddy and submitted a formal representation. They’ve also proposed relocating to vacant defence land in Bolaram, close to the corridor route.

Though the government held gram sabhas in Bowenpally and Trimulgherry, attendance dropped after residents felt their concerns were ignored. “We’ll cooperate if they meet our two core demands,” said Srihari, a B3 resident.

Cantonment MLA Sriganesh Narayanan, who attended a recent public meeting, promised that affected families would receive fair compensation and that a dedicated counter would be set up at the tahsildar’s office to assist them.

Meanwhile, multiple writ petitions have been filed in court, but residents say they’re still waiting for concrete action. “We’re not against development,” said Pramod Kumar V.. “But don’t develop by destroying lives.”