Hyderabad: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has directed district Collectors to handle land acquisition for national highway construction with a humane approach. He emphasized the need to provide compensation to farmers whose lands are acquired according to the rules. In a review meeting on Wednesday, the Chief Minister discussed the challenges faced by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in constructing roads in Telangana.
The Chief Minister questioned the officials about the delays in land acquisition despite government support. Collectors reported that farmers are reluctant to give up their lands due to discrepancies between market and registration values. The Chief Minister acknowledged the farmers’ concerns, noting their long-term ownership of the land, and advised Collectors to meet with farmers and persuade them regarding the land acquisition.
Additionally, the Chief Minister highlighted that Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had agreed in principle to consider the southern and northern parts of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) as a single entity. He urged officials to expedite the tripartite agreement between the state government, Union government, and NHAI.
Addressing obstacles in land acquisition for the northern part of the RRR, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri Collector Hanmanth K. Zendage informed that some farmers had approached the court over an alignment issue, leading to a stay order from the High Court. The Chief Minister instructed the Collector to file a counter to vacate the stay by Friday.
The Chief Minister also inquired about the land acquisition status for the Nagpur-Vijayawada corridor in Khammam district. State Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao assured that farmers would be convinced about the compensation, and opposed NHAI’s proposal to convert the Khammam to Ashwaraopet national highway into a state highway due to ongoing work on the Tallada-Devarapalli greenfield road.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka appealed to NHAI officials to construct service roads and underpasses in large villages along the Nagpur-Vijayawada corridor to facilitate farmers’ access to their fields. NHAI project member Anil Chaudhary promised to address this issue.
The meeting also discussed the proposal to build gravel roads along national highways for agricultural vehicles. The Chief Minister supported this idea, emphasizing its utility for farmers and future road expansions.
Regarding the transfer of forest lands for the development of the Armoor-Jagityal-Mancherial and Vijayawada-Nagpur corridors, the Chief Minister instructed Collectors of Nizamabad, Manchiryala, and Mahabubabad districts to allocate government lands as compensation for the forest lands. He urged the State Revenue and Forest Departments to coordinate effectively in this land transfer process.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need to expedite payments related to the removal of utilities under various departments’ purview, and advised officials to coordinate with the NHAI to resolve any issues.
The Chief Minister ordered the commencement of Hyderabad-Manneguda road works, with NHAI officials agreeing. State Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy urged NHAI project member Anil Chaudhary to start work immediately, noting that land acquisition for the expansion of the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway to six lanes had been completed. NHAI officials committed to beginning the work within two months.
The meeting included Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Principal Secretary to CM Seshadri, CM Secretaries Manik Raj, Chandrasekhar Reddy, Shanawaz Qasim, Infrastructure Advisor Srinivasa Raju, NHAI Regional Officer Razak, PCCF Dobriyal, R&B Special Secretary Dasari Harichandana, Joint Secretary Harish, and Collectors from Medak, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sangareddy, Manchiryala, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalapalli, Hanumakonda, Warangal, Mahabubabad, Khammam, and Nizamabad.
