Guntur: Farmers of Mangalagiri, Tadikonda, Peda Kakani, Tulluru, Kaza and other areas of Guntur district have agreed to part with their lands for establishmen of the state capital.
Farmers’ leaders of these areas met on Sunday and demanded the government establish the capital city at Mangalagiri.
They also decided to hold meetings in their respective areas and convince their fellow farmers to part with their lands for the new capital.
Former MLA M. Hanumantha Rao, who addressed the farmers’ leaders, said that Mangalagiri is the most suitable for new capital due to it being centrally located between Vijayawada and Guntur.
Mr Rao said that farmers were asking for 60-40 share in the land pooling system against the government's proposal of 40-60 share. He said that big farmers were ready to hand over their farmlands for the new capital but the small and marginal farmers would be affected by the land pooling system, hence they were demanding market price for their lands. Farmers’ leader Nannapaneni Nageswara Rao said that farmers were seeking a government job to one family member each and compensation under 60-40 land pooling system.
He said that if the government offers suitable compensation and jobs, then it can acquire 50,000 acre land easily in and around Mangalagiri.
Farmers M. Chakradhar Rao, T. Anjaneyulu and others said that land acquisition would be a Herculean task for the government in Vijayawada city due to residential colonies but it would be easy to get farm lands in and around Mangalagiri hence the public representatives of Guntur district should lobby with the government and see that the capital is established at Mangalagiri.
D. Nageswara Rao and others said that small and marginal farmers who own only one or two acres would be worst affected, hence they need special compensation.
They said that they were ready to give up their land if the state government agrees to establish the new capital at Mangalagiri.
About 500 farmers from the area were present at the meeting.
