K'taka HC quashes NHAI land acquisition notification
The proposed ring road connecting Belagavi-Goa National Highways to NH748 and NH748AA.
BELAGAVI
The proposed ring road connecting Belagavi-Panjim NH748 via Anmod and NH748AA via Chorla has hit a major road block as the Karnataka High Court has quashed the land acquisition notification issued by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The proposed 35-km ring road is expected to ease traffic congestion in Belagavi city and offer smooth movement of Goan vehicles going towards Kolhapur, Hyderabad and Dharwad via Belagavi. The land acquisition order has been quashed stating that the notification was incorrect.
On the other side, the decision is a significant victory for a few farmers who are fighting for months to save fertile agricultural land, bringing relief to farmers.
The NHAI had issued a notification in October 2022 to acquire about 500 hectares of agricultural land for a six-lane Ring Road project stretching from Honaga-Bennali to Zadshahapur village.
About 100 farmers, under the leadership of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), had raised objections and staged protests.
Citing traffic congestion in the city, efforts to construct the Ring Road through 31 villages in Belagavi Taluka had been ongoing for several months and when the NHAI had commenced the land acquisition process, farmers had filed petitions in the High Court.
On Wednesday, the court issued an order declaring the notification invalid as it was issued improperly.
Meanwhile, the Belagavi Taluka Maharashtra Integration Committee, while opposing the Ring Road, had proposed an alternative to address the traffic issue by constructing flyovers within the city instead of acquiring fertile farmland.
However, this suggestion was ignored, and the land acquisition process proceeded with notices sent to farmers. Notably, five years ago, NHAI had to cancel a similar notification due to farmers’ protests.
According to Advocate M G Patil, representing the farmers, the High Court has cancelled the Ring Road notification following petitions from 18 farmers.
“The court considered the farmers' arguments and annulled the notification,” Adv Patil said.
Meanwhile, NHAI authorities have stated that the High Court has ordered that a fresh notification to be issued and added that the order would be challenged with the competent court.
“Around 500 hectares of land need to be acquired to connect NH748 and NH 748AA. We have disbursed about Rs 140 crore while majority of the farmers have received the compensation, a few farmers had gone to the High Court. We will be challenging the order by the High Court and see that the Ring Road is implemented in the larger interest,” project director Bhuvanesh Kumar said.
