SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday, August 10, allowed the Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML) to resume land acquisition for the Metro Rail Phase-II project, vacating a stay it had granted in January 2025 that had put the process on hold.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar passed the interim order while hearing a petition filed by the Telangana government seeking to lift the stay. The court clarified that questions about the legality and procedural compliance of the acquisition process would be examined at the final hearing of the petition, but that the acquisition itself could proceed in the meantime, strictly in accordance with law.
The case concerns land acquisition for the Metro Phase-II corridor, which runs from MGBS to Chandrayangutta through Hyderabad’s Old City. Eight petitioners, mostly shop and property owners in the area, approached the court arguing that the acquisition was being carried out in a way that was unfair to them.
They alleged that the government was acquiring significantly more land from the left side of the road than the right, rather than taking equally from both sides as the road was widened from 60 feet to 100 feet. They also challenged the compensation offered, saying rates as low as Rs 26,000 to Rs 81,000 per square yard were far below the actual market value of Rs 3 to 4 lakh per square yard in the area, and that their formal objections to the process had not been properly considered before the government proceeded with the acquisition.
HAML’s defence
HAML countered that the alignment had been drawn up based on the officially approved city master plan and verified through drone and satellite surveys. It argued that uneven construction on both sides of the road made a perfectly equal split from both sides impossible, as it would result in a zig-zag alignment.
It added that compensation had been fixed through negotiations and that more than 300 of the 357 affected property owners had already accepted the awards and handed over possession of their properties.
The court held that decisions on highway and metro alignment involve technical and engineering expertise that courts are not in a position to second-guess. It also held that blocking the project would harm the larger public interest by delaying a significant transport infrastructure link for the city.
On those grounds, it vacated the stay and adjourned the matter for a further hearing on the merits.
SOURCE : SIASAT
