HYDERABAD: The 162-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) continues to draw flak even after the recently notified realignment.

This time, it is poor farmers of Imamguda and Srinagar villages of Maheswaram mandal who have expressed their concern as their villages will disappear.

Some 600 families in the two villages will lose 204 acres of farmland and houses that have been notified for acquisition to pave way for the ORR junction at Imamguda.

The earlier alignment was supposed to pass through Tukkuguda but it was spared following representations to protect large number of structures in the area.

Poor farmers, with holdings of half an acre to two acres, have pledged to give up their lives rather than forgoing their shelter and livelihood.

`Restrict road width'

Championing their cause are Ranga Reddy district BJP leaders led by State BJP general secretary Laxman and Ranga Reddy district unit present S. Malla Reddy who have invited mediapersons to visit the villages.

Addressing the agitated villagers at Imamguda hamlet on Tuesday, Dr. Laxman said that the BJP would fight for their cause and appealed to the Government and HUDA authorities to restrict the road width to 250 ft from the proposed 500. Such a decision would not affect the farmers. "While nowhere in the country, including metropolises, have the width of highways been more than 250 ft, HUDA's proposal facilitates commercial exploitation of the land. The surplus land is being sought for townships and commercial complexes," he said. The Government had no funds to execute the Rs.3,200-crore ORR project and it proposed to acquire land from the poor in excess and hand it over for commercial development to attract funding, Dr. Laxman said.

Nominal price

While the rate in the sub-registrar office was Rs.8 lakhs per acre and the market rate Rs. 1 crore per acre, the Government was only offering nominal price. It recently acquired land for Raju Nano Technology Park at a nominal rate of Rs.80,000 per acre from a farmer of Imamguda.

Dr. Laxman and Mr. Malla Reddy said that the BJP was not against the project as it was essential to meet the growing population and traffic. "We are against excess land acquisition for townships and commercial complexes."

Dr. Laxman announced that 10 struggle committees would go to all the 70 affected villages in 16 mandals to look into the grievances of poor farmers and submit a report with alternatives to the Chief Minister.

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