Chandrababu Naidu sweetens package for riverfront farmers

The state government has so far pooled 25,000 acre of land and requires another 10,000 acre, which is highly fertile Jareebu or wet land located in river-front villages.

The farmers of these villages have not yet surrendered their lands under the Land Pooling Scheme, which will conclude on February 28.

The state government had announced that it will go in for land acquisition from March 1, following which a group of farmers from the river-front villages met Mr Naidu at the Secretariat on Thursday and urged him to enhance the land and monetary packages.

However, some of them said they would go to court against land acquisition after consulting other farmers.

Later in the evening, the CM announced the enhanced packages, calling upon farmers to surrender their lands under the pooling scheme, which would be beneficial for them compared to what they would get if the government opted for land acquisition.

Though some farmers urged Mr Naidu to extend the Land Pooling Scheme deadline from February 28 to March 15, the CM reportedly told them that the government could not do this as it was planning to start construction works of the capital from June.

“After February 28, the state government might be compelled to invoke the Land Acquisition Act to procure remaining lands by way of adopting land acquisition system instead of land pooling process,” Mr Naidu told farmers.

Some farmers said they would consider the option of challenging the state government’s move in court if it forcibly took their land by invoking the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, “We will consult all the Jareebu farmers who are unwilling to part with their lands and finalise our future course of action against the government’s intentions of acquiring our land by force,” they said. A few farmers later said the CM had refused to extend the extend the LPS date.