RRR project land acquisition: Farmers demand market rates as compensation

HYDERABAD: Land acquisition for Hyderabad Regional Ring Road (RRR) project is facing stiff resistance from farmers with those from Medak, Siddipet and Yadadri, among others, demanding land for land instead of money. They contend that the compensation being offered by the government was meagre compared to the prevailing market rates. Given the steadfast stance of farmers, public hearings being conducted by officials for land acquisition are ending abruptly.

The long-pending RRR project, which has only been confined to surveys all these years finally made a headway with the launch of public hearings in districts starting from Medak.

The first public hearing pertaining to Medak district was held in Donthi village on Wednesday while another public hearing pertaining to Siddipet district will be held in Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's home constituency Gajwel on Friday. The public hearing pertaining to Yadadri district will be held in December.

Farmers argued that their lands fetch up to Rs six crore per acre as per market rates but the government was offering them a pittance-Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per acre. Farmers were furious that officials had made markings for land acquisition without their knowledge.

In the public hearing held at Donthi, the farmers took Medak additional collector P. Srinivas Reddy and Gajwel RDO D. Vijayender Reddy to task for holding public hearings for the entire Medak district at a single location instead of going in for mandal-wise meetings.

Some dalit farmers alleged that officials had changed RRR alignment targeting lands owned by dalits. They alleged that the government was conspiring to take away assigned lands that were given to them by the previous governments by paying a meagre compensation for RRR project.

The farmers vowed to intensify their agitation against the RRR project. Farmers from all districts will come together and launch a joint movement until the government agrees to give land for land or increase compensation amount in accordance with the existing market rates.