Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMR) authorities over the last few years have managed to take over scores of properties across the three traffic dense corridors where the project work is under way. However, even as the project reaches the finishing stage, there are about 200 properties yet to be acquired in two of the three corridors.
Negotiating a deal
Among these are the 120-odd properties lying on the Sultan Bazar-Badichowdi stretch of Corridor Two (JBS-MGBS/Falaknuma) and sizeable number of properties on the Jubilee Hills Check Post to Hi-Tec City – Corridor Three (Nagole to Hi-Tec City/Nagole) where space is required to take up construction of stairs et al. Five properties at Krishnanagar and few more at Chikkadpally-RTC Crossroads were still to be acquired.
In fact, more than a year ago, after several negotiations, the metro rail authorities managed to convince the property owners of Sultan Bazar and around to accept the compensation package ,and allow road to be widened along the stretch which would entail a loss of 5 to 10 ft on both the side. This would have helped in taking up viaduct construction since the road was too narrow to allow any heavy duty machinery or trucks to move.
“We have started receiving the cheques and dismantling of a few properties beganrecently. We have been waiting for the metro rail authorities to start the work for quite some time. We have requested them to complete the process soon so that we could carry on with our business ,” says Govind Rathi, leader of the traders joint action committee.
About 2,400 properties have been acquired across the corridors using various measures like negotiations through ‘consent’ method, or sympathetically considering even those without land documents – as Government Vested Municipal (GVMs) properties – since they have been living there for decades, through Land Acquisition Act – old and new, and also through legal battles.
This was happening simultaneously with the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH)’s demand of ‘Right of Way’ for speeding up its work on laying the foundations, piers, the viaduct and the overhead stations, as they needed space for constructing stairs, lifts and escalators leading to it.
Procedural delays
“We have had to look at various issues because people’s livelihood was involved in several cases and there were also court cases which had to be tackled. There is a due process to be followed in acquiring properties, but we are going to expedite them. Collectors of Hyderabad and Rangareddy have been asked to look into the issues on priority basis,” say senior government officials, unwilling to be identified.
Apart from procedural delays from the revenue authorities, the funds for issuing compensation cheques simply dried up once the government decided to cut the funds allocated to HMR in the last few years. The recent disbursal of Andhra Bank loan has helped to move matters to a large extent now. However, enhanced compensation to properties has to be paid under the new Land Acquisition Act.
