Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has given powers to the Andhra Pradesh Capital Regional Development Authority to acquire any land in the limits of capital region, by force if necessary.
If a land owner is not willing to give up his or her her land, the CRDA can acquire it in the name of “public purpose”.
The AP CRDA draft Bill, Section 100, gives power to the CRDA to acquire land using Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2014.
It also states, “Any land required, reserved or designated in the concept development plan, spatial development plan, infrastructure development plan, area development plan or action plan, zonal development plan, land pooling scheme, town planning scheme, or a development planning scheme, shall be deemed to be land needed for public purpose within the meaning of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and may be acquired by the government on the request by the CRDA or other Authority or functional unit.”
The government has decided to pool 30,000 acres in 29 villages in the proposed capital area. Farmers and residents of 11 villages are not willing to give their land and are opposing the land pooling.
If they don’t change their mind, the CRDA can forcefully acquire their land in the name public purpose by using the Land Acquisition Act.
According to rule 28 of the Act, for land acquisition, the compensation shall be 1.25 per cent in rural areas other than scheduled areas and 1.5 per cent for Scheduled (tribal) areas subject to any further notification as may be notified by the government.
The government has stated that in most villages, people were coming forward to give their land and very few were opposing the land pooling scheme.
Telugu Desam leaders are trying to convince them to give their lands. Guntur TD party leaders are planning to bring some farmers who are opposing land pooling to Hyderabad to meet CM N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The TD leaders feel that if Mr Naidu explains the advantages of land pooling to the farmers, they may change their minds.
