HYDERABAD: A bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Zone Chennai, has issued notices to the Union of India and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in an appeal challenging the environmental clearance granted for the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) project around Hyderabad.
The bench, comprising Justice Sheo Kumar Singh (judicial member) and Dr. Prashant Gargava (expert member), directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), represented by its secretary, and the NHAI, represented by its project director, to file their responses.
The matter has been adjourned for further hearing after the vacation.
The appeal was filed by Gouraram Sri Ram Reddy of Toopran village in Medak district, Kata Arulappa of Pamulaparthi village in Siddipet district and others, challenging the environmental clearance (EC) dated April 13, 2025, granted by the MoEFCC for the development of a greenfield regional expressway, part of the Regional Ring Road project, on the northern side of Hyderabad.
The proposed project passes through multiple districts, including Sangareddy, Medak, Siddipet and Bhuvanagiri in Nalgonda district.
The appellants contended that although the EC was granted in April 2025, it was only published in newspapers in January 2026, allegedly after they filed Right to Information (RTI) applications seeking details of its publication. They argue that timely publication of the EC is a mandatory requirement under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.
Challenging the clearance, the petitioners raised several concerns, including alleged non-consideration of the project’s impact on agricultural lands and local communities, segmentation of the project to obscure its full environmental footprint, and material misrepresentations in the application.
They also alleged reliance on incorrect baseline data, suppression of key facts, inadequate public consultation, and a mechanical grant of clearance without due application of mind.
Taking cognizance of these issues, the Tribunal issued notices to the respondents.