Telangana Approves ₹2,278 Crore for 2,009-Acre Adilabad Airport
The Telangana government has granted administrative sanction of ₹2,278.14 crore and approved the acquisition of 2,009.23 acres of land in Adilabad for the development of a Joint User Airfield. The Roads and Buildings Department issued a Government Order on Saturday for the project, which will be jointly developed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The new directive supersedes an earlier proposal to acquire 700 acres for an airport at the site. Under the approved plan, 1,609.23 acres will be acquired for the IAF and 400 acres will be designated for civil aviation infrastructure. The IAF currently holds 369.45 acres at the location and requested 1,500 acres of additional contiguous, encumbrance-free land for an IAF training establishment. The state government has agreed to acquire and hand over the required land free of cost.
A joint survey conducted by the Ministry of Defence recommended a 9,000-foot runway for the proposed airfield. The facility is planned as a dual-purpose airport serving both defence and civil aviation needs. Its infrastructure will feature a civil aviation enclave, a cargo terminal, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, hangars, and provisions for future expansion.
Out of the total sanctioned amount of ₹2,278.14 crore, ₹1,555.11 crore has been allocated specifically for land acquisition, alongside ₹31 crore set aside for structure compensation. The state government announced it will bear all expenditures related to land acquisition and the clearing of obstacles to speed up execution.
The sanctioned budget includes allocations for extensive infrastructure realignments and utility relocations across the site. These cover ₹310 crore for shifting 765 kV transmission towers, ₹57.49 crore for the diversion of water streams, ₹35 crore for realigning the Adilabad-Anukunta road, ₹18.76 crore for relocating electrical infrastructure, and ₹3.55 crore for shifting Mission Bhagiratha drinking water pipelines.
Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy stated that the administrative sanction comprehensively covers the primary land acquisition as well as all ancillary works, including line shifting, road realignment, and pipeline relocation. The District Collector of Adilabad has been instructed to complete the land acquisition process and related works by December 31, 2026.
