VIJAYAWADA: It seems that the state government has to do a lot to convince the farmers to offer their land for construction of the capital city for the truncated Andhra Pradesh.
The majority of the farmers of Tullur mandal including Krishnayapalem of Mangalagiri mandal in Guntur district have organised a meeting at Mandadam village Monday and decided not to offer their lands for the capital. Tullur mandal located on the banks of river Krishna and falls under the VGTM-UDA limits.
Interestingly, a TDP leader from Venkatapalem, Bellamkonda Narasimha Rao, who attended the meeting, said that the majority of the farmers in Tullur mandal are opposing the government’s move to acquire land through the land pooling system. He said that it would take several years for the government to construct the capital and develop the land which would be allotted to the farmers.
“If a farmer, who owns a 0.5 acre or 1 acre land, hands over his land to the government for the Capital, how can he meet his expenses like college fees of his children or performing their marriages? The government is reportedly going to pay Rs 20,000 as the lease per acre. It is a meagre amount,” he argues.
Meanwhile, several farmers including Dr Aluri Prasad, a big farmer, from Mandadam and Bezawada Ramesh of the same village also made it clear that they will not lose their lands for the capital.
But a few from Harichandrapuarm village have opposed it. Both groups entered into an argument and at one stage there was a scuffle at the meeting.
However, it is said that the villages in the upland areas near Amaravati are in favour of losing the land for the capital as they had seen a sudden spurt the in prices of their land.
Around 750 people from all the 21 villages of Tullur mandal including Krishanyapalem attended the meeting.