Despite objections from his own cabinet colleagues, particularly from deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had his final say in the acquisition of more land for the expansion of Amaravati capital city.
On Friday, the state cabinet chaired by Naidu approved the launch of the second phase of land pooling for Amaravati, aimed at acquiring 16,000 acres more from the farmers in the surrounding villages of the present capital region.
And Pawan Kalyan and his colleagues from Jana Sena Party, remained silent, indicating that they have given their nod for the latest decision of Naidu.
According to municipal administration minister P Narayana, the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) will soon issue a fresh notification shortly, setting in motion another major round of land aggregation.
In 2015-16, the Naidu government acquired 34,000 acres under land pooling system in the first phase.
Now with the proposed acquisition of another 16,000 acres, bringing the total land contributed by farmers for the capital city to an estimated 50,000 acres.
In the initial round, the state transferred 16,000 acres of government land to the APCRDA.
When combined with land received from farmers, the capital region will encompass 70,000 acres earmarked for the construction of Amaravati.
The APCRDA has identified seven villages where land pooling and acquisition will be undertaken: Vaikunthapuram: 3,361 acres; Pedamadduru: 1,145 acres; Endroyi: 2,166 acres; Karlapudi: 2,944 acres; Vaddamanu: 1,913 acres; Harishchandrapuram: 2,418 acres; and Pedaparimi: 6,513 acres
When combined with assigned government lands, the total extent intended for acquisition in this phase adds up to 20,494 acres.
The cabinet also approved APCRDA’s proposal to secure a Rs. 7,500-crore loan from NABFID (National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development).
The funds will be deployed exclusively for capital development works, with strict usage conditions prescribed by APCRDA.
The state government will serve as the guarantor for the loan.