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Outer Ring Road - Where It Stands
Posted by Pradeep Sadanapalli | April 22, 2008 | 2,804 views
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The much-hyped Rs 5,599-crore Outer Ring Road (ORR) project seems to have hit a major roadblock. After overcoming earlier controversies on alignment, it is now facing speed-breakers like land acquisition, obstructing structures, and litigation among others, stalling smooth execution, finds out Koride Mahesh.
It is a classic case of a government project where the project is announced with much fanfare and when it actually hits the ground, the reality of the situation hits harder. More so, in a complex project of this size and magnitude, delays are endemic leading to cost and time over-runs. What are the real stumbling blocks to execution of this 161-km long road project, whose completion is slated to change the geography and economy forever?
Shifting Structures And Deadlines
The state government planned the ORR Phase I - from Gachibowli to Shamshabad -(estimated project cost Rs 699 crore) to be ready by March 2008, but not even 50 per cent of the road that would allow easy connectivity for IT companies to the new airport, has been completed. Now the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) has set a fresh deadline of June 2008 for completion of four lanes of the eight-lane project. The proposed eight-lane road, including structures like flyovers, bridges and underpasses will be - if things go according to plans - completed after a year, i.e., only by March 2009.
Interestingly, the original deadline for completion of the ORR Phase I was December 2007, but it was extended due to hitches in land acquisitions. Moreover, of the 24-km ORR Phase-I, only 11 km length of the road or less than half is complete, with bituminous layer. Though the road earth work is complete in some stretches, bituminous work is yet to be taken up as some structures like under passes for vehicles and people have to be completed.
In the phase I, nearly 73 structures like three flyovers have to be constructed at Rajendranagar, Gachibowli and Shamshabad. The other bridges, minor bridges, underpasses, slab culverts and box culverts have to be constructed all along the 24-km road. Uptil now, no structure has been completed and 30 structures are half-complete.
Let’s take a closer look at the situation. At Shamshabad a cloverleaf interchange has been planned with seven vehicular underpasses, six minor bridges and one over bridge. But the works are yet to be completed. At two places - Manchirevula and near Gandipet (after Moosa bridge) - the ORR passes through the Musi river which are yet to be completed.
Adding to the delay, the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA), which is losing land in the project is yet to hand over a building for the completion of the road, though it had handed over some properties earlier. The academy is reportedly asking for some land adjacent to its campus. But the state government is reluctant to agree to their proposal since it is the reserve forest land. “Project delays are common and are to be expected. However, a little more planning and anticipation of issues that could cause delay and factoring those into project cost and timelines would help minimise cost and time over-runs,” observes a project planning and management expert.
The other hurdles on the ring road are: a number of religious structures and graveyards coming in the way, which Huda is finding difficult to relocate them. “We have successfully relocated some temples and chillas. Still, there are some graveyards and religious structures coming in the way at Shamshabad, Tundupally and Gachibowli junction,” says Rahul Bojja, ORR project director.
Huda claims to have offered them a good compensation package consisting of construction of pucca structures and other facilities like borewells, electricity and toilets. “However, we are going slow with graveyards as it involves sensitive religious issues,” the project director said.
A Phased Delay
Not surprisingly Phase II-A of the ORR project (estimated project cost: Rs 2,200 crore) is also plagued with problems. This phase covers the stretch from Narsingi to Patancheru and Shamshabad to Amberpet. Though the contract was awarded in August 2007, Huda officials have yet to hand over land to the contractors on some stretches like Tukkuguda and Poppalguda. The reason? Some farmers went to court against the land acquisition and alignment at Tukkuguda. Also, Jayabheri Properties Pvt Ltd, a well-known real estate group, challenged taking over their land as there are some water bodies near them. Now the case is in the Supreme Court. As per the original plan, work on this was supposed to be completed in 30 months from the contract date, after six months, not even 10 per cent of the works have been completed. Again, incomplete land acquisition in several stretches is the reason.“Land acquisition is getting delayed as Huda is acquiring land through a consent method by giving good cash packages and a plot if the plot owner is losing 80 per cent or more of the total area,” Bojja said.
As per the agreement, the Huda had to hand over 50 per cent of the land by October 2007 and total land by the end of December 2007. But of the total 2,050 acres needed for the project, acquisition was complete to the extent of about 1,800 acres.
The urban development authority is also facing problems in acquiring land in the Narsingi to Poppalguda stretch, Koheda and Kongara Khurd.
“At Mankhal the alignment was changed to protect the land of a big officer who worked in Huda earlier. Of the total 13 acres, I am left with only three acres. And that too has become useless as a high tension cable passes through my land,” G Yadiah a farmer complained.
The other problem is environmental clearance for taking over land in the reserve forest area. The Union Ministry of Forests is yet to give clearance for taking over forest land for the ORR Phase II-A. The ORR is passing through 39.4 hectares of reserve forest land at Masjidguda, Turkayamjal, Mangalpally and Peddamberpet. Huda officials have to raise the same extent of land as forest in a different location, a condition as per the rules.
“Land in the Chilkur reserve forest was taken for ORR Phase-I. Now, the Huda is eying forest land again for Phase-II. It appears the alignment at the forest land is being changed to protect some individuals’ interests,” S Jeevananda Reddy, secretary, Forum for Sustainable Development, an NGO said.
Interestingly, there are as many as 94 court cases pending in different courts over land acquisition, compensation and road alignment. All of them are in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, except four, which are in the Supreme Court. The High Court has granted stay on land acquisition and works in Shamirpet, Kandlakoya, Poppalguda and Mankhal villages.
Surprisingly compensation too is not uniform. “Huda is offering more money to some people who threaten to go to court and bargain for more compensation,” a land loser B Sudarshan Reddy alleged.
More Of The Same
Now to the Phase II-B of the ORR project (estimated cost: Rs 2,700 crore) which stretches from Patancheru to Shamirpet and Shamirpet to Amberpet. While officials are planning to award the contract in September 2008 and complete the work in 30 months, land acquisition in many villages has hit a roadblock. At Patancheru - which has a high concentration of industries - some units are losing land under the project. At one location, Huda changed the alignment as several people feared loss of employment as their unit came in the way. Now other units are also demanding a change in the alignment. But that has been denied as a religious structure has to be removed for the ORR. Some people went to court against the land acquisition.
As for financing this phase of the project, Huda has sought a loan of Rs 2,700 crore from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The bank has agreed do it in two tranches. The first will be released by the JBIC in September 2008.
Finally, as one of the most prestigious projects of the government, the ORR, which is set to change the connectivity scenario - and catapult Hyderabad into a different league - appears to head for a long trudge to completion.
Promised Land?
Though several people handed over their land to the Huda for the ORR a year ago, they are yet to get developed plots as promised. Now, those who surrendered their land - especially from Patancheru and Koheda - are demanding cash compensation to the plots being given under the land-for-land compensation package.
Over 2,000 farmers were allotted nearly 5 lakh sq yards under the land-for-land compensation by the Huda in the past one year but none of them have got possession of the land.
The reason given by Huda is that developers are not coming forward to develop the land. In fact, the urban development authority claims to have invited expressions of interest from developers last year to develop 50 acres at eight locations like Srinagar, Koheda, Pigilipur, Amberpet, Kondapur, Yadgarpally East, Timmaiahpally and Sultanpur.
Only three developers submitted quotations and Huda awarded works to them. But none of them are showing interest to initiate any work. As per the agreement, the developer has right to take 20 per cent of the developed land which he can sell it to anybody.
“Since the land identified under the rehabilitation package are located in interior and rocky areas, the developers are not taking them up. They also fear that they may not get good returns for their share of the land,” a Huda official pointed out.
For instance, 656 people were eligible for land-for-land in Koheda, 588 farmers in Shamshabad area, and 398 people of Sultanpur were formally informed that they would get plots as per the package.
“I am losing 10 acres in Mankhal village. Neither have I been paid cash as compensation, nor got plots under the land-forland package,” rued G Yadiah, a farmer. Some farmers from Koheda and Patancheru approached the Huda to give them cash compensation for the plots allotted under land-forland package. “We cannot sell our plots as the plots are yet to be handed over to us. If the Huda gives the compensation, we will buy plots somewhere else,” they told Huda officials.
Huda reportedly discussed the issue in its recent meeting and decided to award the work to other Huda qualified contractors to develop the land. “There is a delay in developing plots under land-for-land compensation. Huda has decided to call tenders under a Bill of Quantity and EPC contract,” Ch Sridhar, officer on special duty, ORR, said.
Different PHASES
Phase I
Gachibowli to Shamshabad - 24 kms
Phase II A
Amberpet to Shamshabad-Narsingi to Patancheru - 62 kms
Phase II-B
Patancheru to Shamirpet and Shamirpet to Amberpet - 75 kms
SOURCES:
Times Of India
Topics: Govt Failures, The Facts, Reports, Infrastructure |
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