Negligence in acquiring properties for the Hyderabad Metro Rail project will cost nearly Rs 200 crore to the state exchequer. Nearly 1,700 properties are yet to be acquired by the government. Besides, the enforcement of the Union government’s Land Acquisition Act has hiked up compensation cost by four times. On the Chilkalguda-Musheerabad stretch alone, the additional compensation burden has been pegged at Rs 75 crore.
It is the responsibility of the government to acquire properties, pay compensation to the owners, and demolish them for road widening to facilitate Metro works by barricading the road. However, officials have neglected to acquire properties in core areas of the city in the last three years, resulting in the Metro works coming to a halt.
Meanwhile, the new Act came into force putting the government in a fix due to increased compensation costs. Earlier, the government had offered up to Rs 35,000 per sq. yard. However, now, it will be forced to cough up three times more to acquire the same properties.
Property acquisition has now become difficult in Ameerpet, Sarathi Studio, Greenlands, Somajiguda, Khairatabad, Lakdikapul, Malakpet, Moazzam Jahi Market, Nampally, Gandhi Bhavan and Chikkadpally. Source: deccanchronicle.com