Vijayawada: The foundation stone laying ceremony for Machilipatnam Port has been postponed yet again. It was supposed to be done by the end of December, 2017. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu issued instructions to start the work immediately but nothing of that sort happened so far. Minister Kollu Ravindra is still touring the areas and conducting meetings with the farmers, urging them to give land for the port. Reportedly, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will meet the farmers in the port area and speak to them directly on Jan. 8.
Initially, the government planned to collect thousands of acres through land pooling like it did in the case of Capital city. However, there had been an argument regarding the need for land in such a huge amount for a port and the farmers refused to part with their land. In some areas, the TD, with its influence, collected 700 acres of 2,282 acres identified in a few villages. This apart, 3,014 acres of assigned lands have been allocated for the port, which requires a total of 5,296 acres.
It is learnt that the farmers are not giving their land for the port as they are not happy with the compensation announced by the government, Rs 50,000 for wetland farms and Rs 30,000 for upland forms. The government also announced 10 per cent rise every year in the lease amount. The Chief Minister is reportedly unhappy with minister Kollu Ravindra with regard to the slow pace of land acquisition for the port. There may be an announcement on hike in compensation on Jan. 8.
