VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that decentralisation of administration will ensure integrated development of all the regions in the State, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has said returning the lands taken under the land pooling scheme by the previous government to the farmers was not at all a tough task.
“The then government, in the name of land pooling, took lands from the farmers. This government can give back the lands in another form. These are all irrigated lands. In case if roads or drains pass through the fields, the government can remove such structures through the annuity being given to the farmers,’’ he maintained.
Stating that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy would do justice to them, the minister said, “But all the farmers should understand that the TDP leaders are using them only to protect their own lands.”
Speaking to media persons at the Secretariat near here on Monday, he demanded to know what was the need for taking 33,000 acres of land, when even in Hyderabad the stretch with the Secretariat and the Assembly was not more than 200 acres.
Observing that the high-powered committee appointed by the government will submit its report in accordance with the observations made by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the floor of the AP Legislative Assembly that executive capital may come up in Visakhapatnam, legislative capital in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool, he said there will be no loss to the farmers of Amaravati area if the move is implemented.