Farmers protest RRR land acquisition, demand fair compensation and alignment change

Farmers and landowners protested at the HMDA office against the proposed RRR alignment, demanding fair compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. CPI (M) leaders alleged forced acquisition and claimed market rates of Rs 5-10 crore per acre, not the Rs 15-20 lakh offered

Hyderabad: Farmers and landowners protesting the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) alignment staged a demonstration at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) office on Monday, demanding fair compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and a change in the route.

Organised under the aegis of the CPI (M) state unit, the protest saw CPI (M) State Secretary John Wesley accuse the State government of attempting to acquire land forcibly. He alleged police personnel were being deployed to intimidate farmers, and fencing work was under way across several survey numbers.

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“If the Congress government acquires lands forcibly, then we will lay siege to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s house,” he warned in a statement.

John Wesley said the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 requires compensation of four times the market value. He claimed market rates ranged from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore per acre, whereas the government was offering between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh per acre.

The CPI (M) leader also charged that the RRR alignment was being altered to protect the holdings of industrialists, elected representatives and real estate developers, while ensuring small and marginal farmers lose their land. He warned that if the Congress government did not change course, farmers would teach it a “befitting lesson” in the local bodies’ elections.