Telangana HC cancels NH-63 notification, Mancherial farmers relieved

The Telangana High Court has cancelled the notification for the proposed NH‑63 between Jagdalpur and Nizamabad, bringing relief to farmers who opposed land acquisition. The project, sanctioned in 2016 under Bharatmala Pariyojana, faced repeated objections over its alignment through agricultural fields.

Mancherial: The Telangana High Court has recently cancelled the notification for the proposed NH-63 between Jagdalpur and Nizamabad, delighting farmers.

A 148 kilometer-long six-lane green field highway between Mancherial and Nizamabad was sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore under Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme way back in 2016. As many as 1,527 acres were identified to be acquired in 17 villages of the district for laying the road network. The lands belonged to farmers of Luxettipet and Hajipur mandals.

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Farmers approached the High Court opposing acquisition of lands for the bypass which passes through agricultural fields in Gudem, Gampalapalli, Thimmapur, Pothepalli villages in Luxettipet and Dandepalli mandals. They sought the court to intervene in changing the alignment of the bypass, citing loss of livelihood. They argued that they had already given lands for the Sripada-Yellampalli irrigation project.

Accordingly, alignment of a bypass road between Gudem and Mancherial has been altered. NHAI officials prepared an alignment expanding the NH along with an existing road between Gudem and Mulkalla village. However, residents of villages and business establishments along the existing road raised objections to the alignment and approached the High Court.

The NHAI officials designed an alternative alignment which meanders through agriculture fields along the banks of Godavari river, worrying the farmers. The farmers once again moved the High Court, which stayed the work until further orders were issued and ordered the officials to prepare guidelines to create NH considering objections of the farmers.

Despite the court’s order, the NHAI recently decided to form NH. Faulting the move of the officials, the High court gave its final verdict cancelling the notification on July 6. The court’s judgment cheered the farmers who had been waging a legal battle for over 2 years. They said that public representatives did not respond to their pleas, but the court responded positively.