Second Phase of Land Pooling Starts in Amaravati

Vijayawada: Ahead of a formal launch of the second phase of land pooling for the Amaravati capital project, farmers in Amaravati Mandal are voluntarily offering their land, urban development minister P Narayana has said.

The second phase of LPS was started on Thursday by receiving land documents for Amaravati Capital. Under this process, 16,666.57 acres of patta (private) and assigned lands across seven villages would be pooled.

The minister received a warm welcome at Endrayi village, where he went to interact with farmers. He had breakfast with Pedakurapadu MLA Bhashyam Praveen at the residence of farmer Dharma Rao.

After offering special prayers at the local Shiva temple, the minister held a meeting with farmers from four revenue villages.

Lingaapuram farmer Namburi Balaram voluntarily handed over the original documents for his 4-acre plot to the RDO in the presence of the minister and MLA. Narayana thanked all farmers for their support to the second phase of land pooling.

Narayana said, “Land pooling was preferred over acquisition to protect farmers’ interests. Smart industries, an international sports city capable of hosting the Olympics, and improved rail and air connectivity are essential for increasing land values. Nearly 90 per cent of farmers in the notified villages have already agreed to pool their lands. Work on the international sports city will begin within a year.”

Explaining the government’s objectives, Narayana urged farmers to extend full cooperation for building an international–standard capital city and assured them that grievances, if any, would be addressed immediately.

He clarified that the capital gains exemption was a matter under the Centre’s purview.

The minister blamed the delay in Amaravati’s development on what he described as the “administrative failures” of the previous government. “In the first phase, farmers voluntarily pooled 34,000 acres within just 58 days. Had the Singapore Master Plan been followed without obstruction, nearly 50 per cent of the capital would have been completed by now,” he said.

The pending contractor bills, legal hurdles, and excessive rains further slowed progress, he added, noting that construction activity has now accelerated and is proceeding as per schedule.