Land acquisition for regional ring road hits block

All these exercises would definitely take a few months, the official added. Roads and Building Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had recently reviewed the progress of RRR works.

Hyderabad: Land acquisition for executing the northern part of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) is likely to get delayed further as 72 hectares of forest lands is required for taking up the works.

These 72 hectares of forest lands are not in a single block and are spread over in three districts, Yadadri Bhongir (8.7 hectares), Medak (35.11 hectares) and Siddipet (28.25 hectares).

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This could make acquisition even more challenging for the officials. Furthermore, as per rules, the government has to provide 72 hectares of land in other areas in lieu of taking over the forest lands in the three districts.

The State government has to identify the alternate lands under the compulsory afforestation rule. To this effect, it is learnt that a few land parcels have been identified under Mahabubabad limits.

But all these details have to be uploaded mandatorily on the PARIVESH portal for coordination among the line departments and tracking the status, said a senior official from the Forest department. Since the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the user agency for executing the RRR project, it has to upload all these details.

Though it had uploaded the project details, including the purpose and others earlier, it has to now upload afresh with more details to get approvals, the official said. On part of the State Forest department, once the alternate lands are handed over to the department, a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey has to be conducted to check the accuracy of the extent of land allotted and other aspects.

All these exercises would definitely take a few months, the official added. Roads and Building Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had recently reviewed the progress of RRR works.

During the meeting, the Minister said when the State government’s financial situation was explained to union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, he had immediately agreed to bear the cost of Rs.363.43 crore towards shifting of utilities. Of the total 351 km-RRR project, the northern part covers 161 km and the southern part covers 190 km.

The Northern part works had already commenced at Girmapur village (Timmapur) at Sangareddy. The northern part will join the southern part at Choutuppal.

The land acquisition exercise for executing works on the northern part was divided into six packages and already 70 per cent of the works have been completed. As for the remaining 30 per cent, Narsapur forest lands and court litigations at few places were delaying acquisition, officials had explained to the Minister.