HYDERABAD: Expressing anger over the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) project, hundreds of farmers and residents staged a protest at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) office in Ameerpet on Monday.
Carrying placards, villagers from seven districts gathered at the HMDA office before moving to the busy Mythrivanam junction, where they squatted on both sides of the road, raising slogans against the government. Police struggled to clear the congestion and repeatedly appealed to the agitators to call off the protest.
The farmers demanded that the state government retain the earlier alignment of the RRR, which they said would cause minimal loss of agricultural land. They alleged that the revised route would wipe out large stretches of fertile fields, devastating the farming community. “RRR is not required; our agricultural lands are dear to us,” the protesters shouted, urging the government to halt land acquisition until full compensation is paid.
Last month, HMDA issued a preliminary notification for a 100-metre-wide RRR within the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region, passing through eight districts, 33 mandals and 163 villages. Detailed survey numbers and digital maps were published on the HMDA website, inviting objections and suggestions by September 15. A final notification will follow.
The proposed RRR will cover Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Medak, Vikarabad, Nalgonda, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri and Mahbubnagar districts. Planned 30 km–50 km beyond the existing Outer Ring Road (ORR), it is intended to decongest Hyderabad, link key national and state highways, and spur economic growth in peripheral areas.
