KANDLAKOYA JN LANDOWNERS’ OKAY TO HMDA’S OFFER

The legal tussle between the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and some landowners pertaining to the construction of the Outer Ring Road at Kandlakoya Junction for over 10 years is expected to come to an end soon.

The metropolitan body and the property owners held consultations, as per the directions of the Supreme Court, to come to an agreement regarding the compensation amount. It is learnt that landowners agreed to accept the package offered by HMDA as per the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013. The case would be heard in the Apex Court on Tuesday.

A senior HMDA official said that property owners had agreed to HMDA’s compensation of `1.4 crore for every acre for 20 acres of land and `2.25 crore per acres for another 30 acres. He said that if the Apex Court gave its verdict in favour of HMDA, it would pay compensation in three months.

The metropolitan body had so far been unable to acquire nearly 110 acres near Kandlakoya due to the pending legal cases, first at the High Court and later at the Supreme Court. While some landowners were willing to part with their lands, others refused to do so and moved the court alleging that the project alignments had been changed to suit the needs of influential persons. As a result, the HMDA completed only 156.9 km of the eight-lane expressway, and a 1.1-km stretch at Kandlakoya Junction had been left out.

HMDA, which received a goahead from the Supreme Cour a few months ago to resume road works at Kandlakoya pending final judgment, was expected to complete the construction work within the next few months. Works on the main carriageway were under way, after which the construction of service roads would be taken up.