Hyderabad metro faces more land acquisition hurdles from traders

The Hyderabad Metro Rail project has again run into rough weather. The Rs. 16,500-crore elevated metro rail project spans 72 kms, across three dense corridors of twin cities, Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It is currently in the midst of challenges to secure ‘right-of-way’ along some buzzling commercial establishments along the route.
This comes at a time when L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd, which is involved in one of the largest public-private-partnership (PPP) projects in the country, is in a very busy and crucial phase of development. This is a phase which involves accelerated pace of project implementation as well as construction work at its peak.
Land acquisition being a major cause of concern for the Andhra Pradesh government, about Rs.2000 crores has been set aside for expenses associated with acquisition of 269 acres of land that would be needed for the completion of the project. In this regard, the government has been successful in acquiring large portions of land at critical points. However, the major concern at the moment is with regards to acquiring properties along some busy commercial roads, with many establishments likely to be effected in the process. This is a cause of grave concern to the government, more than for the developer, as the progress of the project would be jeopardised if this issue is not resolved adequately.
Causes of resistance:
Land acquisition has become troublesome particularly in some busy localised areas. Some of these stretches are the corridor heading towards the IT hub of Hyderabad, the Ameerpet stretch and the corridor passing through the Old City that touches the market junction of Sultan Bazar, that is a commercial hotspot. There is resistance from local traders against the project as they feel that it would affect their business.
Besides, land has to be acquired from properties holding some religious structures, including an Iskcon temple. Meanwhile, members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) have launced a protest against the proposal sought regarding acquiring 1,600 sq yards of temple land.
Traffic movement has also been adversely affected along busy junctions due to metro barricades being erected for construction of piers. The monsoon has further worsened commuter woes. It is unlikely that any immediate solution can be arrived at in the near future, to break this deadlock. It is yet to be seen if the government would try to influence traders in the locality by offering them higher compensation.
Since the project is already in the cusp of another land acquisition dispute with the Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board (APSWB), this issue will further aggravate the woes of the government, which could result in the project getting delayed from the expected operational date of March, 2015.

A fresh allotment of Rs. 200 crore has been granted to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) by the  Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) on 7th Sept, 2013, for acquiring properties in its road widening drive along the three corridors of the metro rail.

Some of the properties that have been usurped for the purpose include 25 between  Kukatpally and S.R.Nagar, 78 between Mettuguda and Greenlands, 83 between  Khairatabad and Osmania University Medical College, 46 between Osmania University Medical College and New Market, 69 between Jubilee Hills Checkpost and Hitech city, and 374 properties between Jubilee Bus Station and Narayanaguda section.

The HMRL had earlier released Rs.435 crore to GHMC for road widening and land acquisitions.