Hyderabad: Rattled by the intense opposition from inside and out, Andhra Pradesh government has dropped the idea of forcible acquisition of land for the construction of the new capital city Amaravati in Guntur district and reverted back to the old model of land pooling.
The decision was taken in view of the increasing resistance from the affected farmers and support extended to them by all the opposition parties as well as an ally film star Pawan Kalyan.
Days after Pawan Kalyan threatened to go on indefinite hunger strike to oppose invoking of land acquisition act, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Urban Development P Narayana announced that the government will resume negotiations with the farmers to pool their lands which come in the proposed area of the new capital city.
Of the 2500 acres of land in nine villages which the government wanted to acquire after the refusal of farmers to voluntarily surrender, the government has managed to convince the owners of 600 acres land, he said. “We will continue our efforts till all land owners were convinced”, he said.
Pawan Kalyan, the founder of Jana Sena Party was quick to hail the decision. “My special thanks to CM N Chandrababu Naidu for considering farmers’ difficulties with sympathy”, he Tweeted.
At a review meeting with the officials of Capital Region Development Authority Chandrababu Naidu directed the official to persuade the farmers to opt for land pooling. Naidu said the government wanted a peaceful atmosphere conducive for investments as several countries including China, Japan, Germany and Singapore were keen to make investments in the new capital region.
