Citizen Journalism: Need for another ring road unjustified; RRR might benefit elite, harm rural lives

NewsMeter has always been at the forefront of highlighting people's problems, celebrating the common person's success, and encouraging people to live their dreams. We are trying to become a bridge between the government and the people. To take this initiative forward, we are introducing a citizen journalism concept This story is part of the initiative.

Hyderabad: Regional Ring Road (RRR) for Hyderabad is proposed to be built with an approximate length of 338 kilometres and 50 km from Hyderabad. This greenfield (new) expressway will be another ring road, in addition to the existing Outer Ring Road (ORR) of 158 km.

Thus, Hyderabad will have two ring roads, which is probably unique to any metro city in India.

Both roads would fall under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Area (HMDA) of 7,257 sqkm. Both roads do not figure in the Master Plans, indicating ad-hoc plans and non-seriousness in the scientific assessment of its requirements. Not enough evidence or argument has been provided to warrant this RRR within a decade of the completion of the ORR.

Proposed RRR will affect agricultural lands

With ORR yet to be fully used, the need for another ring road, within a distance of 25 km, is unnecessary and unjustified.

The proposed Regional Ring Road expressway around Hyderabad will severely affect fertile agricultural lands and densely populated villages filled with structures and houses. Precious agricultural land will be lost to the project, which has minimal gains for the local populace.

ORR burdened ecology and the poor

Road alignment is always subject to pressures from the real estate lobby and the powerful elite, invariably impacting the poor and the voiceless. In the past, the Outer Ring Road underwent several changes in its alignment, ultimately burdening the public exchequer, environment and the poor people.

Frequent changes in ORR alignment, owing to the dictates of the powerful elite, have done irreversible damage impacting water resources, water bodies and the local natural water cycle. A number of hillocks have vanished, while a few were sliced open to allow the ORR alignment.

Natural streams were destroyed. Mrugavani and other natural forests were also negatively impacted. An audit of the ORR is required to understand how these impacts could have been avoided.

RRR will endanger the lives and livelihood of locals

Just like ORR, the Regional Ring Road expressway will be mostly designed to exclude the local population from using it. Usually elevation, expressways are designed to exclude many types of road users and slow vehicles. Expressways have become a death trap for pedestrians as the road design lacks footpaths, crossroads, cycle lanes, street lamps, medians, overhead bridges, traffic lamps and dividers.

Rural folk, living on either side of the proposed RRR, who use different modes and methods of transport, including livestock, would be several affected. Livestock grazing areas are either divided or encroached, thus, effectively killing livestock-based livelihoods, including sheep, goats, buffaloes, cows and poultry.

Without committed efforts to safeguard the environment from the Telangana State government and Central government, RRR will increase the pressure on the State’s land, forests, water systems, wetlands, grassland ecosystems, and other natural resources – assets many of the poor depend on for their livelihoods.

Livelihood loss can increase poverty, unemployment and nature-based production and can have a cascading effect on Gross State Domestic Product.

Telangana State's GDP, and thus national GDP, is at risk because of these massive road projects, whose benefits have not been assessed scientifically so far.

The risk of air and soil pollution is high

On the other hand, air pollution is likely to increase in the area as land and soil are disturbed.

Food production within a 150 km radius would reduce gradually to zero, with negative consequences on hunger and nutrition affecting the development of future generations. The project does not help in developing and diversifying the economic opportunities in surrounding districts and mandals, since RRR is not about improving transport facilities and services in rural areas. It does not enhance employment and income-generating opportunities for the locals and does not create inter-district trade routes.

The design of the RRR project is not inclusive and will affect the economic growth prospects of the local people, especially the poor and women. Even the unskilled employment generated during this road project implementation does not help local people, as it is mostly the migrants who will be employed.

ORR and the widening of other roads connecting Hyderabad have led to the removal of lakhs of trees, flattening of hillocks as they contributed soil and rock metal for road construction and the destruction of natural streams and local aquifers. RRR is likely to cause a similar impact multiple times as what has happened due to ORR.

RRR will promote widespread urbanisation

The Regional Ring Road may increase the overall appeal of the real estate sector in this area, especially the projects between ORR and RRR. However, it accelerates urbanisation, concretisation, natural resource transfer from the poor to the rich and land ownership consolidation.

Urban design, especially zonal regulations, needs to be reviewed in this context. Almost all of the RRR project falls under the HMDA Master Plan area.

HMDA Master Plan requires a comprehensive review

Currently, the highly problematic Master Plan of the HMDA area requires review and appropriate integration of zonal development plans. The Telangana government does not have a comprehensive approach towards transport by improving institutional, financial and operational efficiency to maintain sufficient transport infrastructure (including State roads, national highways, and expressways) and to improve road safety.

A detailed project report has not been shared in the public domain. Only bits and pieces of information are shared in the newspapers, without giving a comprehensive view of the project.

The Government of Telangana has so far not clarified whether it is planning to acquire additional land around the proposed RRR from the transport corridor. The NHAI notification does not give specific names of persons along with land survey numbers. Alignment maps should have been shared with the panchayats, which are affected, directly or indirectly.

We request you stop all activities related to the Regional Ring Road expressway until the following is done:

- A comprehensive environmental impact assessment is prepared.

- An evaluation of Outer Ring Road is done, listing its benefits and impacts.

- Preparation and public declaration of a comprehensive transport plan for the State of Telangana.

- Review and finalisation of the HMDA Master Plan.

While the RRR is not required under the current conditions and circumstances, we request the government not to go ahead without fulfilling the above steps.

Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi is an expert in public policy and public interest campaigns.

The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of NewsMeter.