VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that Amaravati is a safe zone and that there is no threat from the River Krishna, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) P Narayana urged people not to believe in any misleading claims.
Terming the YSRC’s claims regarding Amaravati's false propaganda, Narayana pointed out that experts from IITs in Hyderabad and Chennai have vouched for the structural integrity of the iconic buildings that will come up in the capital region.
Speaking to media personnel at the CRDA (Capital Region Development Authority) headquarters on Monday, Narayana said flood prevention measures, including the construction of gravity canals and reservoirs, have been put in place to safeguard Amaravati. He explained the plan to develop three crucial canals — including Kondaveeti Vagu (23.6 km), Pala Vagu (16.7 km), and Vaikuntapuram gravity canal (8 km) — to prevent flooding in the region. Additionally, six reservoirs, with a combined capacity of 1.31 TMC, are being constructed.
Minister visits houses of ryots to acquire land
Elaborating, the Minister said lift irrigation projects with a capacity of 12,350 cusecs at Undavalli, 4,000 cusecs at Buckingham Canal and 5,650 cusecs capacity at Vaikuntapuram will be built. He also said that plans are afoot to redesign and strengthen the Krishna bund (Karakatta) to face 15 lakh cusecs of water inflow into the River Krishna.
Sharing the reports from IIT-Hyderabad and IIT-Madras which confirmed the structural integrity of iconic buildings, such as the Secretariat Towers and High Court, 3,600 flats built between 2014 and 2019, Narayana said works in the capital city will resume shortly by inviting tenders in two months.
In a relief for Amaravati farmers, he announced that `175 crore will be deposited for land lease payments. He also highlighted plans to extend the tax payment deadline for people from flood-affected areas in Vijayawada.
Narayana leads land pooling drive
Stating that he is ready to go directly to the homes of farmers who are willing to give their land, Narayana remarked, “Every cent counts for the capital development.” He visited farmers’ houses in Yerrabalem village, securing 12.27 acres from 11 farmers under the land pooling scheme on Sunday. On Monday, the government acquired 7.2 acres from six farmers in Penumaka village.
Pointing out that farmers who contributed land for the capital in the past were allotted plots through a lottery system, he said, “Now, only a limited amount of land is needed so we are offering an open option to farmers. Wherever the government has land, we will give them the plots they desire.”