The Times of India 11.01.2010
GHMC favours land-to-land deal with SCR
HYDERABAD: In an attempt to settle the long-pending issue of land acquisition on the Sangeet-Tarnaka stretch with the South Central Railway (SCR), the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has recommended to the state government to allot land as compensation for SCR's proposed passenger and freight terminals.
The GHMC commissioner has recently recommended to the principal secretary,municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department to allot land to the railways.
Sources said the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy during a review meeting with GHMC officials had agreed to consider allotting land to railways as land-to-land compensation to settle the issue immediately.
The SCR would lose 52,938 square (sq) metres of land on the Sangeet junction-Tarnaka stretch due to road widening. The railway authorities have so far handed over 34,056 sq metres to the GHMC for road widening, while there are about 80 structures on the remaining 18,881 sq metres.
GHMC and SCR are locked in a legal battle over land acquisition on the road for the last two years. While the railways is seeking land compensation as per the market value, the GHMC offered payout as per government rate, which is about Rs 7,000 per sq yard.
The High Court appointed a three-member committee to settle the compensation issue and the railways agreed to hand over land where there were no structures. Since then, the railways has been seeking alternate land, including Old Gandhi Hospital land, from the state government for its future projects.
The SCR sought over 1,000 acres for constructing passenger terminals at Moula Ali station, Hi-Tec City station and Medchal station. Similarly, it sought about 600 acres land for freight terminals at Timmapur, between Nagulapalli and Vikarabad station and between Bibinagar and Bhongir station.
The GHMC has recommended that the land, being sought by the railways for its terminals, may be examined by district collectors for availability and feasibility to reserve it for the government utility.
"If the land is available, it need not be given to railways immediately, but can be earmarked for future purpose except the extent of land which is equal to the land railway is losing in road widening. The rest can be reserved and it may be handed over as and when the land-related issues are addressed properly," the commissioner said in a letter.
The GHMC said railway authorities have already made it clear that they would not seek any compensation and would also return Rs 45 crore paid by the GHMC towards land compensation.
"GHMC is in a financial crisis now. If the state government gives land, there will not be any burden on the corporation. Also, we will get back Rs 45 crore from Railways which can be used for road widening works," a senior official of the GHMC said.
