VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna district administration is focusing on land acquisition as it is crucial for creating road infrastructure for the emergent capital city on the banks of the Krishna river.
Collector Babu A, at a review meeting on Wednesday here on the progress of land acquisition for laying five national highways, wanted the process to be hastened. Discussions centred around land acquisition for national highways Nos: 221, 65, 16, 9 and 5. As regards the highway between Vijayawada and Machilipatnam, the collector said that already 143 acres had been acquired and handed over to the national highways authority. Work is expected to begin in April since tenders are being called under EPC mode.
For Ibrahimpatnam-Jagadalpur national highway (NH: 221), there was need for acquiring 60 acres land for the stretch that passes through Krishna district. Of this, 55 acres was patta land for which 14 proposals have been made ready. As there would be 60 buildings in this area, the collector wanted R and B officials to make an assessment of their value. He also wanted an estimate of the cost of shifting 706 electric poles and 54 transformers in the area.
The collector, referring to the Polavaram Right Canal, wanted Land Acquisition Special Collector to acquire 1,222 acres of land needed for its construction. Since lands have to be acquired in Gannavaram, Agiripalli, Bapulapadu and Nuzvid mandals, one need to hold meetings with farmers. He also wanted land acquisition for doubling of railway lines between Vijayawada and Bhimavaram.