In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the acquisition of land for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) around Hyderabad, which had been partially quashed by the High Court due to procedural defects and alleged mala fide in alignment changes. Though procedural violations were found, the Court refused to quash the acquisition because Rs. 6,000 crores had been invested and the road was already in heavy public use. Instead, it awarded enhanced compensation at SRO rates of Rs. 75 lakhs per acre for National Highway-adjacent land and Rs. 42 lakhs per acre for ORR-adjacent land, with statutory benefits, to all landowners uniformly. The Court directed HMDA to restore environmental damage caused by destruction of Nagulkunta Lake through creation of a replacement waterbody.
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