VIJAYAWADA: Farmers who had already given their lands to the government for the development of the Amaravati capital city, have announced their willingness to cooperate with the second phase of land pooling.
At a meeting held by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat on Thursday, farmers from the capital villages felt that the issue could be resolved quickly by holding talks with those reluctant to part with their lands under the pooling system. The farmers said they, too, would benefit under the plan envisaged by the Chief Minister.
Stating that the CRDA should take responsibility for explaining to farmers the advantages and disadvantages related to the enhancement of FSI, they informed the Chief Minister that due to lack of proper awareness on some issues, any difficulty would ultimately result in loss to farmers.
The Chief Minister said the State government had already requested the Centre to issue a notification officially declaring Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, and added that the matter would be taken up with the Centre once again. He said the government would also discuss with the Union government the extension of the Capital Gains exemption period for capital region farmers.
Amaravati must be made growth engine of State: Naidu
After patiently hearing the issues raised by the farmers, Naidu explained the measures taken by the government on several of these concerns, and advised them to approach the three-member committee for any further issues. “I will also speak to you directly if needed,” he told them.
“Amaravati will remain a mere municipality if it is not expanded further,” he said, urging farmers to cooperate with the government, and come forward for the second phase of land pooling.
“Amaravati must be the growth engine of the State. The capital should develop, and the first beneficiaries of that development must be the capital region farmers. Ensuring justice for Amaravati and its farmers is my responsibility,” he said.
Mentioning that they had earlier formed JACs, and fought for the capital, the farmers stated that they would now set up the Amaravati Development Association. Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, MA&UD Minister P Narayana, and Tadikonda MLA T Sravan Kumar were present.