Airport: Ryots Pitch for Uniform Prices
VIJAYAWADA: Talks with farmers over land acquisition for the Gannavaram Airport expansion held here Wednesday ended inconclusively with farmers saying a firm no to variations in compensation for the lands offered.
They told district collector Babu A and other officials at the collector’s camp office that they are not ready to part with their lands at the compensation being offered and demanded a uniform price for all lands to be acquired. There are no differences in the lands located in different villages, except for the fact that they are registered with respective village panchayats at different registration values.
The Gannavaram airport expansion was planned in two phases, with the first phase needing 405 acre and second phase 205 acre. An acre of land in Ajampudi village was offered Rs 46.80 lakh, Rs 58.5 lakh per acre in Buddhavaram village and the highest price of Rs 97.22 lakh per acre in Kesarapalli village.
However, the farmers are not ready to yield ground and demanded a uniform price. The collector said he has to work as per the norms in the Land Acquisition Act and would take their demand to the notice of the state government.
Joint collector G Chandrudu maintained that compensation was offered to the land as per the Land Acquisition Act.
“Different compensation for different lands is being offered by the government in violation of the Land Acquisition Act. As per law, they should offer the highest price for the land intended for acquisition. We shall not agree to it,” Seetharamaiah, a farmer from Ajampudi village, told mediapersons coming out of the meeting. He said they would take legal recourse to settle the matter.
The other farmers, who participated in the talks, also accused the government of trying to divide them by offering different compensation packages. They said compensation being offered was not in tune with the market value of their lands which border the National Highway.
Meanwhile, the district administration has proposed land pooling for acquiring the required land for expansion of the airport to develop it into an international airport as it will be the nearest and the only one in the capital region.
The collector said the package under land pooling proposed to the farmers of Gannavaram will be the same as the one being offered to the capital region farmers.
He said keeping the objections and demands of the residents of Buddhavaram village in view, they have ensured changes in alignment of Isolation Bay in the expansion plans of the airport. As many as 250 houses will be saved.
Those who lose houses for expansion of runway will be offered compensation at the rate of Rs 3,969 per sq yard and the value of construction will be calculated differently.
Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan said as part of R&R those who lose their houses will be provided alternative house sites in the lands belonging to the Veterinary College and the Transport Academy.
He promised to take the demands of the farmers to the notice of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Joint collector G Chandrudu explained about types of compensation offered to farmers and farmhands. Gannavaram Airport director Raj Kishore was present.