NHAI rejects RRR realignment, highway projects in Telangana

The Centre’s National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has conveyed to the state government that there was no possibility of realignment of Hyderabad Regional Ring Road (RRR) and other highway projects in Telangana at this stage.

The NHAI asked the state government to go ahead with the land acquisition for these projects as per original designs that were already approved by the Centre even as farmers protest demanding realignment in several districts.

Official sources said that Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari took up the issue to the notice of NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav. Farmers in Yadadri-Bhongir, Khammam, Hanamkonda, Warangal, Bhupalpally, Mancherial and Peddapalli districts are agitating against land acquisition.

Yadav made it clear that there was no possibility of realignment of RRR or green highway projects in Telangana state.

The land acquisition for RRR and green highway projects in Telangana state has been facing stiff resistance from farmers in various districts. They are opposing acquisition of their agricultural lands saying that their



livelihood would be hit while a few farmers were expressing dissatisfaction over the compensation offered by the government arguing that it was meagre when compared to the market value of their lands.

A few farmers are demanding more compensation while others are demanding ‘land for land.’ Farmers of Rayagiri village in Yadadri-Bhongir district are strongly opposing land acquisition for RRR project arguing that they had already lost 100 acres for expansion of National Highway-163, another 45 acres for canals related to Kaleshwaram project and another three acres for setting up HT (high tension) electricity towers and lines.

Bhongir municipality even passed a unanimous resolution demanding realignment of RRR to save agricultural lands.

It sent the resolution copy to the state government with a request to ask Centre to change the alignment of RRR. Following this, the state government referred the issue to the NHAI, which rejected any changes in alignment at this state and asked the state government to go ahead with land acquisition.