Farmers protest at HMDA office in Hyderabad over RRR alignment, traffic disrupted

Tension erupted at the HMDA office in Hyderabad as farmers from seven districts protested against the revised Regional Ring Road alignment. They alleged large-scale loss of fertile land, unfair compensation, and forced acquisition, demanding restoration of the original alignment.

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) office at Swarna Jayanthi Complex, Ameerpet, on Monday as farmers and landowners affected by the Regional Ring Road (RRR) project staged a protest.

The farmers strongly opposed parting with their lands for the project and demanded that the State government implement the RRR as per the earlier alignment, which they said involved minimal loss of fertile land. They alleged that the revised alignment would lead to the loss of vast stretches of fertile land, which would adversely affect the farming community.

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Carrying placards, farmers from seven districts assembled at the HMDA office before staging a protest at the busy Mythrivanam junction. They squatted on both sides of the road, raising slogans against the Congress government, leading to severe traffic disruption in the area.

Police struggled to clear the traffic and repeatedly appealed to the farmers to call off their protest. However, the farmers and landowners continued to press for their demands.

This was not the first protest against the RRR project and its land acquisition process. In the past, farmers in Sangareddy, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and other districts had staged similar agitations. Some alleged that the government was not offering fair compensation, while others complained of forceful land acquisition.