ONGOLE: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said protecting farmers’ land rights was the responsibility of the government, as he distributed Pattadar Passbooks bearing the official State emblem to eligible farmers at the ‘Mee Bhoomi-Mee Hakku’ programme at Narsingolu village in Jarugumalli mandal of Kondapi constituency in Prakasam district.
“A farmer should focusP on the crop in the field, not worry about the security of his land. He should hold a plough and go to the field, rather than carry applications and run around government offices. The land and the rights belong to you; protecting them is my responsibility,” Naidu said, addressing a public meeting after interacting with farmers.
The Chief Minister handed over land documents to farmers Balamma and Koteswara Rao, who thanked him for resolving their long-pending land issues. He also said the government was addressing the decades-old Garbha Kandrika land disputes in four mandals of Prakasam district.
Naidu said the government had distributed 40.58 lakh Pattadar Passbooks so far, including more than four lakh in October across 790 villages. The State had set monthly targets to ensure that all eligible landowners received error-free documents with enhanced security features and the official emblem.
Accusing the previous YSRCP government of creating land disputes, encroachments and problems in the revenue system, Naidu said the Land Titling Act had been repealed to protect property owners. The government had removed 16.48 lakh acres from the Section 22A prohibited list and cleared 41,000 acres involved in disputes in areas including Kangundi, Amalapuram and Settipalli, he said.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones for development works in the constituency. These included the Pothula Chenchaiah-Paleru Reservoir project, estimated at Rs 166 crore, and a bridge over the Paleru river at Muppalla, costing Rs 27.85 crore.
The reservoir would be completed in two years, providing irrigation to 9,500 acres and drinking water to 35,000 people across 15 villages, he said. A road project at Vemurupadu in Ponnaluru mandal was also announced.
Naidu said the government was pursuing irrigation, housing, drinking water and rural infrastructure projects along with industrial development. The second phase of the Veligonda project would be completed to extend water supply to more areas, while Rs 11,000 crore was being spent on rural infrastructure under Palle Panduga, he said.
He added that the government had provided residential land rights worth Rs 52,000 crore to 60,000 people in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Mangalagiri, laid the foundation for three lakh houses and planned to take up another six lakh houses. Under the Jal Jeevan Amarajeevi Jaladhara programme, Rs 31,000 crore had been earmarked to provide tap water to every household.
The government was also planning to connect 40 rivers to create a State-wide water grid and complete 36 projects at a cost of Rs 35,000 crore in three years, Naidu said. He cited the proposed Rs 1.5 lakh crore Bharat Petroleum Corporation refinery and the accelerated work on Ramayapatnam Port as key initiatives to promote industrial growth and create jobs.
Naidu said his coalition government, with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dy CM Pawan Kalyan, was working to restore public confidence.
He said he had met the Prime Minister and eight Union ministers in New Delhi over the past two days to seek projects and funds for AP. The government was collecting public feedback on welfare and development programmes through an IVRS system and would correct shortcomings, he added.
Several Ministers, MPs, MLAs, public representatives and officials attended the programme. They included Ministers Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Gottipati Ravi Kumar, Anagani Satya Prasad and Nimmala Ramanaidu, Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, District Collector P Rajababu and Superintendent of Police V Harshavardhan Raju.