Indian Real Estate

The Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) project is generating a lot of heat and dust. Frequent changes in the alignment of the road and alleged irregularities in land acquisition from hundreds of landowners are snowballing into a major controversy. The debate on the issue in the Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly had turned bitter with the members of Opposition and ruling parties trading charges and invectives. The Opposition onslaught continues outside as well. Besides organising protests by ORR-displaced persons, the Opposition sought to corner the government at the Powerpoint presentation made by officials of the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority on September 1.

The Opposition has alleged grave irregularities in the land acquisition and alignment of the ORR ever since May 2004 when the Congress came to power. Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu dubbed the land acquisition as “a bigger scandal than Bofors, which was a mere Rs 60 crore.” He alleged that the ruling party leaders, MLAs, MPs and State and Union ministers acted in concert and forced the distress sale of lands worth Rs 7,500 crores by farmers. The modus operandi adopted by “vested interests” was to get notifications issued for the land acquisition by Huda and later get the lands denotified after “influential persons” purchased them at dirt-cheap rates from the worried farmers. The Opposition also charged the government with effecting changes or deviations in the alignment of ORR only to protect the interests of influential persons either to save their lands from being acquired or to benefit them by taking the alignments closer to their properties so that the market value will soar in the future.

Such beneficiaries include industrialists, real estate developers and film stars. Congress leaders countered the Opposition offensive by claiming that Opposition members are raising a hue and cry because their interests were affected due to acquisition of their lands for ORR. Those who stand to lose their lands for ORR include several Telugu Desam and TRS leaders and legislators. The prestigious 162-km ORR requires 5,500 acres of land from 3,192 agricultural land owners and 6,509 plot and house owners in 81 villages. The government must come out with more transparent policies for land acquisition and a comprehensive compensation, resettlement and rehabilitation package for land and plot losers.