Hyderabad: The AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation did not acquire even an acre of land in the last four years in Krishna and Guntur districts. Not even a single new industrial estate has come up in the last one year thanks to exorbitant land rates and the reluctance of farmers to hand over land to APIIC.
With this it is evident that land acquisition for the capital as well as for setting up industries is going to be a Herculean task for the new government. APIIC zonal manager M. Murali Mohan said, “The last time we acquired private lands is four years ago. There are no proposals for acquisition. We are focusing only on government lands. APIIC does not have money to acquire land.”
APIIC officials said that in 1998 private land was acquired in Kanur for the construction of New Autonagar and 10 years ago in Jaggaiapet and Machiliapatnam for setting up parks including imitation jewellery units. Environmentalist and retired professor of marine biology Duggaraju Srinivas said, “The land around Vijayawada and Guntur is very fertile. It can’t be acquired for industrialisation. It will be an ecological disaster if they convert these lands into industrial estates.”
