The Ministry of Defence granted working permission to the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) on June 18, 2026, to use 83.814 acres of defence land under the Artillery Centre, Golconda, for the Gandhi Sarovar Project at Bapu Ghat in Hyderabad. The land, spread across Bandlaguda, Hyderguda and Quila Mohammed Nagar villages in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, is valued at Rs 533.42 crore. The allocation was made under the Ministry’s Equal Value Infrastructure (EVI) Policy, under which MRDCL must create equivalent infrastructure assets for the Army in exchange for the land.
What Is the Gandhi Sarovar Project?
The Gandhi Sarovar Project is a flagship initiative of the Telangana government to develop Bapu Ghat at Langar Houz into a world-class cultural, spiritual and educational landmark honouring Mahatma Gandhi. Bapu Ghat holds profound national significance as the site where Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in February 1948 following his assassination.
The project site lies at the confluence of the Esa and Musa rivers, the two tributaries whose merger forms the Musi River. The planned development includes a 100-metre tower topped with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a check-dam, an iconic gateway, the Gandhi National Museum, a library, a handloom training centre, educational institutions, a relics and research centre, and a peace monument.
With the addition of the defence land, the total project footprint will expand to nearly 200 acres, comprising 83 acres of defence land, 63 acres of state government land and around 40 acres of private land currently under acquisition. The project is a key component of the larger Musi River Rejuvenation Programme, which seeks to restore the ecologically degraded river and transform its 55 km corridor through Hyderabad.
The Defence Land Transfer: Details and Conditions
The approval, issued by the Department of Defence (Lands) under the Ministry of Defence, covers four distinct land parcels that together make up the 83.814 acres:
| Land Parcel | Area (in acres) | Location | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pockets 2 and 3 | 30.4688 | Bandlaguda | Rs 104.45 crore |
| Pocket 4 | 8.0912 | Quila Mohammed Nagar | Included in total |
| Pocket 5 | 39.725 | Bandlaguda and Hyderguda | Rs 260.52 crore |
| Pocket 6A | 5.529 | Bandlaguda | Included in total |
The President of India accorded sanction for the working permission under specified terms and conditions. MRDCL Managing Director E V Narsimha Reddy confirmed that the corporation must deposit Rs 533 crore in an escrow account within two months of the formal handover of the land. A joint survey will be conducted by the state government and the Local Military Authority (LMA) to demarcate the boundaries of the land parcel.
The working permission has been granted through the NOC Portal, an online platform created by the Ministry of Defence to process land transfer requests for public infrastructure projects in a time-bound and transparent manner. The portal is integrated with the Land Management System (LMS) , which tracks and monitors the progress of cases from 2016 onwards.
Understanding the Equal Value Infrastructure Policy
The Equal Value Infrastructure (EVI) Policy is a landmark reform in India’s Defence Land Policy (DLP) , introduced in 2021. It marked the first fundamental change in how defence land is managed since 1765, when the British established the first cantonment at Barrackpore in Bengal.
The Ministry of Defence is the largest landowner in India, controlling approximately 17.95 lakh acres of land across the country. Before this reform, defence land could not be easily used for non-military purposes. The EVI policy changed this by allowing state governments and public agencies to use defence land for public infrastructure projects, provided they create equivalent infrastructure assets for the armed forces in return.
Under this framework, when a state agency such as MRDCL receives defence land, it must build infrastructure of equal value for the Army. If the infrastructure created is worth less than the land’s market value, the balance amount is paid to the Ministry of Defence. The value of the land is determined by a committee headed by the Local Military Authority within cantonment zones and by the District Magistrate for land outside cantonment areas.
The EVI policy has been used for several major projects across India, including metro rail corridors, national highway expansions and airport development. The Gandhi Sarovar Project is among the most significant applications of this policy in Telangana.
The Artillery Centre, Golconda
The Golconda Artillery Centre was raised on August 15, 1962 as the Second Recruit Training Centre for the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. It is located in and around the historic Golconda Fort, a 12th-century fortress that served as the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty from 1518 to 1687.
The centre currently operates three training regiments and trains approximately 2,900 recruits at any given time. It has a rich regimental history and houses the Gunner’s Memorial and the Artillery Museum, which display artillery pieces from the Qutb Shahi, Mughal and Asaf Jahi periods. The centre has also been recognised by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) for its conservation of heritage structures within the fort precincts.
The defence land being transferred covers parts of the Artillery Centre’s holdings in Bandlaguda, Hyderguda and Quila Mohammed Nagar, villages that lie within the broader Golconda region on the western outskirts of Hyderabad.
The Musi Riverfront Development: A Larger Vision
The Musi Riverfront Development Project (MRDP) is one of the most ambitious urban rejuvenation initiatives in India, with an estimated cost exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The project aims to transform a 55 km stretch of the Musi River as it flows through Hyderabad into a global-standard ecological, tourism and economic corridor.
The Musi River, also known as Muchukunda or Musunuru, originates in the Anantagiri Hills of Vikarabad district and flows for approximately 240 km before joining the Krishna River near Wazirabad in Nalgonda district. It is a tributary of the Krishna River system and has historically divided Hyderabad into the Old City to the south and the newer urban areas to the north.
The river played a central role in Hyderabad’s founding. The Qutb Shahi rulers built the Purana Pul bridge across it in 1565 before constructing the Charminar in 1591. The Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar dams were built upstream in 1920 and 1927 respectively, following the catastrophic 1908 Musi floods that killed an estimated 15,000 people. These reservoirs have since served as Hyderabad’s primary drinking water sources.
Phase I of the MRDP covers a 21 km stretch in two segments: from Himayat Sagar to Bapu Ghat and from Osman Sagar (Gandipet) to Narsingi. The government has set a target of completing the project by December 2027. The project is being implemented by MRDCL, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by the Telangana government in March 2017 under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department.
Key Takeaways
- The Ministry of Defence granted working permission for 83.814 acres of defence land valued at Rs 533.42 crore for the Gandhi Sarovar Project under the Equal Value Infrastructure (EVI) Policy.
- The Gandhi Sarovar Project at Bapu Ghat, Langar Houz, is being built at the site where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in February 1948.
- The Golconda Artillery Centre was raised on August 15, 1962 as the Second Recruit Training Centre for the Regiment of Artillery and currently trains about 2,900 recruits.
- The EVI Policy, introduced in 2021, was the first major change in India’s Defence Land Policy since 1765 and allows defence land use for public projects in exchange for equivalent infrastructure for the armed forces.
- The Musi Riverfront Development Project covers a 55 km corridor along the Musi River, with Phase I spanning 21 km and a target completion date of December 2027.
- The Musi River is a 240 km tributary of the Krishna River, originating in the Anantagiri Hills of Vikarabad district, Telangana.
