30-Year Lease Of Urdu Academy Land Sparks Political Storm In Telangana

The Telangana government's decision to lease 1.04 acres (5,220 sq yards) of Telangana Urdu Academy land in Serilingampally to a private developer for 30 years has triggered a political controversy, with AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi alleging that mandatory procedures were bypassed and demanding cancellation of the order.

The controversy centres on G.O.Ms. No. 20, issued by the Minorities Welfare Department on July 16, 2026.

The order permits the lease of land in Survey No.29 at Dargah Hussain Shah Wali village, Serilingampally mandal, to M/s N.N. Infra & Constructions, Hyderabad, on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis.

Under the arrangement, the private developer is to construct an Urdu Ghar-cum-Shadikhana and commercial complex at its own cost.

Owaisi, however, has questioned the authority under which the lease was approved and alleged that the prescribed process was not followed.

"The State Government's Minority Affairs Secretary has issued a government order leasing 5,220 square yards of land belonging to the Urdu Academy to a private company for 30 years. The Secretary has no power to do so," Owaisi said while speaking to NDTV.

He alleged that a decision of this nature required approval at the Chief Secretary level and that public notice inviting suggestions and objections should have been issued before the land was leased.

He also questioned the absence of an open competitive process for selecting the private developer and urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to cancel the order.

The allegations have also put Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin under political scrutiny, with the opposition seeking clarification on the department's decision-making process and the selection of the developer; however, the minister has yet to publicly respond to Owaisi's allegations.

The key questions now are whether the required approvals were obtained, whether any public notice or competitive selection process was conducted, and on what basis the private firm was chosen.

As the Telangana assembly session is likely the issue might see opposition launching an attack on the government inside the legislative assembly and council.