VIJAYAWADA: After the farmers from the 29 capital villages, it is the turn of farmers from Gannavaram Mandal to protest against the State government for delaying the payment of an annuity to them. The farmers, who had given lands for the development of airport under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS), met BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana and complained that the government has not released the payment pending for two years.
“We have given about 830 acres of land — mostly in Buddhavaram village — for the expansion of the runway and other development works at the airport under LPS. As per LPS, we are entitled to annuity payment, besides developed plots in the capital region. However, some of us were paid two years’ annuity, and some didn’t get any payment. The government is showing discrimination against us,” the farmer delegation informed Kanna.
They sought the BJP president’s help in representing their issue to both the State government and the Centre. They recalled that they had given their lands to the government thrice since 1942 for various development works.
They also demanded that the plots allotted to them be developed with necessary infrastructure, as promised while taking lands, and handed over to them at the earliest. “The runway works are almost completed and the other works have reached a final stage. But, we still don’t know when we will get the plots. The government should start the development of plots which have been registered in our names, and hand them over to us,” they demanded.
It may be recalled that the YSRC government on Tuesday, had given an administrative sanction for the release of Rs 187.4 crore to be paid as an annuity to the farmers from 29 capital villages. The Capital Region Development Authority will begin crediting the payment in a day or two.