Farmers tense as Congress govt keeps regional ring road alignment under wraps

According to the revised plan, the southern stretch now spans 201 km, running from Choutuppal in Yadadri Bhongir to Sangareddy.

Hyderabad: The State Cabinet recently approved a new alignment for the southern part of the Regional Ring Road (RRR), but its details have not been made public, sparking concern among farmers who fear their lands could be acquired for the project.

According to the revised plan, the southern stretch now spans 201 km, running from Choutuppal in Yadadri Bhongir to Sangareddy. It is expected to pass through Yadadri Bhongir, Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy districts. The earlier alignment was finalised at around 182 km.

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Following the Cabinet’s approval, the State government has begun preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the new alignment. Consultants have been engaged for this task, which is likely to delay project planning by a few more months.

“Once the DPR is ready, the same will be sent to the union government for Cabinet approval and project sanction,” a senior Roads & Buildings department official said.

The secrecy surrounding the new alignment has left both farmers and real estate developers anxious. Farmers, already opposing land acquisition for the Fourth City project, have stepped up protests, apprehensive about losing their farmlands to the RRR.

Preliminary estimates indicate that nearly 2,000 hectares will be required for the road project, according to R&B department sources.

At recent review meetings, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy reportedly instructed officials to ensure that the southern stretch of the RRR aligns with the proposed Fourth City plan.

The real estate sector too, has expressed alarm over the lack of transparency. With the market already experiencing a slowdown, uncertainty around the RRR alignment and project rollout could worsen the situation.

“Unless there is clarity on the entire RRR alignment, buyers will delay their decisions further,” a real estate developer observed.

Meanwhile, tenders were previously floated for the northern part of the RRR, covering 161.51 km. However, the State has requested the Centre to upgrade this stretch from four lanes to six lanes, following a traffic survey. Once the Union Cabinet approves the study report, further clarity on northern alignment tenders is expected.

Separately, the State government has urged the Centre to take up both the northern and southern segments of the RRR simultaneously, arguing that doing so would significantly reduce overall expenditure.