Officials feel new law will make things easier with farmers
Several projects, including expansion of Madhurapudi airport, Polavaram left canal, fourth bridge across river Godavari, tank bunds at Godavari, Adikavi Nannaiah University, drinking water project in Kakinada and others have been stalled due to
kakinada: Officials are planning to speed up land acquisition process as the new rules for land acquisition have come in to force. The new rules laid down by the governemnt are aimed at benefiting farmers and other land owners.
Several projects, including expansion of Madhurapudi airport, Polavaram left canal, fourth bridge across river Godavari, tank bunds at Godavari, Adikavi Nannaiah University, drinking water project in Kakinada and others have been stalled due to delay in land acquisition.
The district administration is to acquire 3,000 acres land and even awards have been passed for some of the lands. However, the process halted due to uncertainty regarding the amount of compensation .
According to revenue officials, 2,577 acres of land for submergence areas of Polavaram project, 117.90 acres for Polavaram left canal, 88 acres for fourth bridge across river Godavari, 56 acres for Kakinada-Raahmundry canal, 250 acres for Nannayya University, more than 500 acres for expansion for Madhurapudi airport, 141 acres for Godavari tank bunds, 32 acres for Kakinada project and some lands for house sites are scheduled to be acquired.
The farmers under airport, university and Kakinada projects have been agitating against the land acquisition for various reasons like compensation, Dalit issues and others.
District collector Neethu Prasad said that the new rules for land acquisition came in to force and these were published in gazette. She instructed the officials to expedite the process of land acquisition in order to complete the projects.
However, farmers are asking the government to take lands beyond the marked area as the remaining chunk would be of no use for them. For instance, if the government acquires 1.5 acres of the two acres land of a farmer, the remaining 50 cents cannot be used either for cultivation or rsidential purpose.
The Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers Association executive member Dadala Subba Rao said that the new Land Acquisition Act, brought by the Union government, should be implemented and jobs be provide to the land losers including tenant farmers.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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