Landowners reluctant to give away their farmlands
GUNTUR: Despite numerous efforts, the landowners/farmers from anti-LPS villages like Undavalli, Penumaka and others are reluctant to give away their farmlands to the CRDA. Several reasons, including collection of surplus lands, common facility, cattle sheds, godowns, community buildings, schools and extended plots included in grama kantham are said to be the cause for the reluctance.
It must be noted that the grama kanthams were first registered in the land records in 1920 during British regime and the same boundaries still continue. This has become a threat for houses and other structures situated within the extended contours of villages. Meanwhile, the government now plans to exempt the extended contours from land pooling in the anti-LPS villages.
The locals of Undavalli, the entrance to the new capital Amaravati from Vijayawada, recalled that once the village was spread in only 15 acres but due to increasing population, gradually the village extended up to 400 acres.
D. Balaji, K. Siva Reddy and other villagers said that situated at around a kilometre from Vijayawada, Undavalli had all the required facilities. This was the main reason behind people shifting to this modern village whose residential area has now spread to its outskirts. The villagers added that now CRDA is trying to collect the extended contour area which is not acceptable to them.
Similarly other villagers like B. Raghavulu and others blamed the government for adopting the 'warn-fear-frighten' tactics. The ministers warn villagers about inevitable collection of lands, while the CRDA officials create fear by claiming to use Land Acquisition Act for land collection and revenue department frightens about declaring their areas as "green belt", they added.
The villagers also said that farmers are ready to negotiate regarding giving away their lands but till now, neither government nor officials have contacted them.
S.N. Reddy and others lamented that despite putting aside the possibility of implementing Land Acquisition Act, officials warn them about collecting lands under LAA. They alleged that on September 1, Guntur joint-collector Ch. Sridhar, along with officials, came to Undavalli warned the villagers about using LAA. They opined that if the government starts dialogue or approaches negotiations with the anti-LPS farmers, the doubts would clear and the target of land pooling would be completed.
