Farmers face fresh land acquisition threat on Hyderabad–Bengaluru Highway

The Congress government has proposed widening the Hyderabad–Bengaluru highway under the High-Speed Corridor initiative, expanding it to six or eight lanes with service roads. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has also urged the Centre to declare the route a defence and aerospace corridor, intensifying the political and economic stakes.

Hyderabad: Even as farmers continue to protest against land acquisition for the Regional Ring Road, ryots owning land abutting the Hyderabad–Bengaluru highway may also have to part with their property as the government plans to expand the corridor.

The Congress government is pitching the project to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under its High-Speed Corridor initiative. The existing four-lane highway is proposed to be widened to a six-lane or eight-lane facility.

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Besides increasing lanes, service roads would be developed on both sides to improve connectivity. Officials said the proposal was at a preliminary stage, with a feasibility study underway. Based on traffic analysis, the lane configuration would be finalised. A Detailed Project Report would then be prepared, a senior National Highways Authority of India official said.

“Once the DPR is prepared, the State government has to approve it and outline its share in the project expenditure. Generally, States bear the land acquisition cost and MoRTH approves the remaining cost,” the official said, adding that plans were being drawn up to expand the highway to handle growing traffic.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the Hyderabad–Bengaluru route a defence and aerospace corridor. However, land acquisition is expected to be a major hurdle, especially with farmers already demanding higher compensation for the RRR and other projects.

Last month, farmers protested at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority office in Ameerpet, seeking fair compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. CPI (M) State secretary John Wesley, extending support, alleged that the Congress government was offering Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per acre, against a market value of Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore per acre in some locations.