Srinagar, Feb 16 ; Months after a court-ordered enhancement and the finalisation of a revised compensation award, over three dozen families in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district are still waiting for their dues from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for land acquired for the ambitious Srinagar Ring Road project.
Official sources informed news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) that approximately 488 kanals (around 60 acres) of agricultural land was acquired in 2019 in the Wathoora area of Chadoora for the infrastructure project. While an initial compensation was disbursed, the landowners moved the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking a higher valuation.
In 2023, the High Court ruled in favour of the petitioners, directing authorities to pay 20 per cent more in compensation. An appeal filed against this order was subsequently dismissed by the Supreme Court of India, clearing the legal path for the disbursal of enhanced payments.
Following the legal process, the Collector for Land Acquisition, Budgam, Afroza Bano, prepared the revised award in November 2025. An official communication, numbered DCB/LAC/2025-26/1127-29 and dated November 27, 2025, was sent to the Project Director of NHAI Srinagar. The letter requested the release of over Rs 125 crore to facilitate the payment to the affected farmers.
However, despite the award being prepared more than three months ago and the Supreme Court having dismissed challenges to the enhancement, the funds have yet to be released by the NHAI.
“We have been waiting for over three months since the award was prepared, but the NHAI has not paid us. We have already suffered a loss because our land had significant market value. We don’t understand why there is a delay,” said Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Wathoora whose land was acquired.
The issue of pending compensation for the Ring Road project has been a recurring concern. In December 2025, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had assured in a written response that the NHAI was actively coordinating with land acquisition authorities to ensure the timely disbursement of pending amounts. Despite these assurances, the affected families have yet to receive their dues and have renewed their appeal to the Union Minister to intervene personally.
The Srinagar Ring Road is a flagship project under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for Jammu and Kashmir. The 60.84-kilometre, four-lane semi-ring road is being executed in two phases. Phase-1, spanning 42 kilometres from Galander to Narbal, is reportedly 90 per cent complete and is scheduled to open for traffic by May 2026. Phase-2 will cover an 18.84-kilometre section from Narbal to Ganderbal. (KNS)
