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Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday highlighted several issues relating to encroachments and unauthorised constructions on Warangal Fort lands brought to his notice by officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
In a letter to the Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy raised issues regarding the identification of Warangal Fort lands as ASI property, the removal of illegal structures on the fort lands, and the eviction of encroachers from the fort lands. In the letter to the Chief Minister, he said, "Warangal (Orugallu), which served as the capital of the Kakatiya dynasty for nearly 250 years, is renowned for its glorious historical legacy and rich cultural heritage. During the Kakatiya period, the Warangal Fort was constructed in a planned manner with seven fortification walls to protect the capital from invasions. The fort withstood attacks by the Delhi Sultans and the Hyderabad Nizams and continues to stand as a symbol of the valour and strength of the Kakatiya rulers." "Thousands of tourists visit the Warangal Fort every day to learn about its architecture, sculptures, temples, and historical significance. To further promote tourism, the Government of India has recently installed a sound-and-light system at the fort. It has been continuously taking steps to protect and restore Warangal Fort, a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). During my recent visit to Warangal in November 2025, several issues relating to encroachments and unauthorised constructions on Warangal Fort lands were brought to my notice by officials of ASI," he said. He further said that currently, only three of the original seven fortification walls of Warangal Fort remain. It has been observed that the fort lands have been encroached upon, and unauthorised constructions have been carried out in and around the fort area. "ASI has issued notices on several occasions stating that Warangal Fort is a protected monument and that encroachment and unauthorised construction on fort lands are offences under law, and has directed the encroachers to vacate the land. In this regard, ASI officials addressed letters to the Warangal District Collector on November 04, 2022 and again on December 01, 2025. However, no effective action has been taken so far to remove the unauthorised constructions or to protect the fort lands," G Kishan Reddy said. He said that revenue records also show the fort lands as government land rather than as the property of the Archaeological Survey of India, creating difficulties for the ASI in taking action against encroachments. He stated that, to prevent further encroachments and to identify the fort lands as ASI property correctly, ASI officials wrote to the District Collector on October 15, 2025, requesting joint field inspections and the issuance of appropriate instructions. "Further, Warangal Fort is surrounded by both earthen and stone walls, and it has been observed that portions of the earthen wall have recently been encroached upon to carry out new constructions. In this regard, ASI officials again wrote to the District Collector on December 03, 2025, seeking action under the provisions of the Archaeological Survey of India Act," he said. "In view of the above, I request that necessary action may kindly be taken to remove unauthorised constructions, evict encroachers from fort lands, restore the same to ASI, and correct the revenue records to identify the lands as property of the ASI clearly. I also request that strict action may be taken against the encroachers as per law and that full cooperation may be extended to ASI for the protection and preservation of this historical and heritage monument," he added. (ANI)
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