The deadline set by the Andhra Pradesh Government for the farmers in Guntur district to surrender their lands for building a new State capital ended on Saturday night and about 26,700 acres of land was pooled. Minister for municipal administration P Narayana, who supervised the process of land pooling told the media that of the 33,251 acres held by farmers in the region of the proposed capital, farmers holding 26,700 acres have handed over their letters of consent to Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).
In case of farmers who were refusing to part with their lands, the Government will now resort to the land Acquisition Act, he said. The Government was facing resistance from the farmers especially in the river front villages where lands are very fertile. The Government has identified 29 such villages where the land Acquisition Act will be invoked.
On the whole, the CRDA has taken over 47,870 acres of land including assigned, Government, endowment and Waqf lands, he added. The lands pooled also include horticulture lands, poultry farms and unapproved layouts. In case of horticulture, farmers will get a compensation of Rs1 lakh per acre to compensate for the loss of orchards
The lands, where the new capital will be constructed, are spread in mandals of Thullur, Tadepally and Mangalagiri.The land pooling process also faced opposition from other political parties while main Opposition YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy is scheduled to visit the region on Wednesday.