VIJAYAWADA: The State government is proposing a 200-km Amaravati Outer Ring Road with a 140-metre width, requiring about 50,000 acres of agricultural land, APCC vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji said.
He said farmers are likely to lose land at nominal rates, raising anxiety. He alleged that preparatory steps and selective information under the guise of development have unsettled the farming community.
Shivaji said capital planning must adopt a long-term vision but should not impose an excessive burden on small and marginal farmers. He warned that forcible acquisition or land pooling could cause irreversible hardship.
He said major cities such as Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai have outer ring roads of 50 to 100 km, making the proposed scale questionable.
He noted that existing infrastructure, including the Inner Ring Road, access roads, National Highway-16 links and proposed bypasses, already provides connectivity, reducing the need for large-scale land acquisition.
He also raised concerns over a proposed airport requiring about 5,000 acres, saying such projects could increase financial burden and push the State towards unsustainable debt.