Amaravati lands to the poor

Amaravati: Amaravati, touted as 'world-class' city and 'dream capital' by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is likely to become abode for the poor people.

The state government is said to be planning to distribute lands in the Amaravati capital region to the landless poor under the massive housing scheme. Sources close to Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said discussions were on to find suitable lands for distribution to the poor under the scheme. It may be recalled that the Chief Minister has time and again stressed that house site pattas should be handed over to the poor by Telugu new year Ugadi across the state at any cost.

The officials could not find suitable and adequate land for the scheme under the purview of Vijayawada, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri urban bodies. Apart from that, the government has to find land for the landless poor living in various villages in the capital region and neighbouring near Amaravati. In a bid to address all these issues, the government is said to be contemplating to allot around 1,500 acre land in Amaravati to the poor.

Sources at the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) said at least 8,000 acre land is available in Amaravati capital region even after allotments made by the previous government to various institutions. All these lands were taken from the farmers in 29 villages in the region for construction of the world-class city as state capital. But, now the state government is committed to develop three capitals in a bid to ensure decentralised development across the three regions.

The decision of the government is expected to trigger more intense protest from various sections of people, including opposition parties, farmers, realtors, industrialists and others in this area. The state government has already removed some villages from the Amaravati core capital limits and merged them in the neighbouring municipalities of Tadepalli and Mangalagiri.

In addition, the state government is determined to repeal the APCRDA Act and even got the bill passed by the Assembly. The legislation is now stuck up with Legislative Council. But, the state government is contemplating to issue an ordinance, through which it will be repealed and three capitals will also to be formed, sources in the government informed.