Guntur: The state government's latest decision to redefine Jareebu lands will benefit multi-crop farmland owners in the Amaravati capital region.
The farmers of Krishnayapalem and Rayapudi filed cases in the High Court, challenging the identification of their multi-crop lands as Metta (dry) land and sought the Jareebu land package.
The CRDA pooled 33,000 acres of lands in which nearly 8,000 acres were Jareebu lands which got higher compensations under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) package. The farmers of Krishnayapalem and Rayapudi, claiming cultivation of three crops per annum, objected to the classification of their lands as Metta (dry) lands and demanded the recognising of their lands as Jareebu lands. They further objected to the norms for identifying Jareebu lands.
The government hence agreed to redefine the Jareebu norms, which would help multi-crop farmland owners get a higher package. K. Anil Kumar of Krishnayapalem and other farmers of Tullur filed the case. They said that with water available year-round due to lift irrigation projects in the two villages, they claimed that they used to produce three crops per annum like Jareebu lands.
They alleged that the CRDA was showing bias by offering 200 sq yards of commercial plot and 1,000 sq yards of residential plot per acre against 450 sq yards of commercial plot to Jareebu lands.
The farmers claimed that with dry lands being dependent on the rains, these dry lands were cultivable once a year. They added that they used the water of lift irrigation schemes which stored and supplied water throughout the year which was helping them continue cultivation throughout the year.
They claimed that there was no difference between their and Jareebu land: to bring to widespread notice the CRDA’s biased approach they had knocked on the doors of the HC which had awarded them justice. They added that the CRDA could not flinch from providing the Jareebu LPS package as they had proved their lands to fall within the definition of Jareebu.
CRDA sources said that the government could not lessen the LPS package to Jareebu lands; if multi-crop lands were also to be given the LPS package, it would constitute an extra-financial burden.
