Naidu urged to repeal amendment to Assigned Lands Act

Rajamahendravaram: All India Forward Bloc state secretary Inapurapu Suryanarayana, national secretary of the Republican Party of India Pitta Varaprasad, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) East Godavari district president Yarlagadda Srinivasa Rao requested TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu to repeal the amendment made to the Prohibition of Transfer of Assigned Lands Act 9/77 by the previous YSRCP government. They spoke at a media conference at Rajahmundry Press Club here on Monday. They said this amendment done by YSRCP is detrimental to the interests of SCs/STs.

They said that R&R package payments of about Rs 2500 crore are due for the assigned lands taken from SCs, STs, and BCs to construct Jagananna Colonies. They asked the upcoming TDP government to take steps to clear the payments. As many as 27 SC and ST schemes cancelled by the previous government need to be restored, they said.

Last year, the government had announced that 33.29 lakh acres of assigned land had been distributed to 19.21 lakh people in the state, they said. These lands have gone into the hands of other castes due to the amendment of the Assigned Act to give ownership rights to the purchasers. Because of this, the weaker sections voted against the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government and gave a verdict in favour of the Telugu Desam alliance. They demanded that the new government should repeal the Amendment immediately.

They urged the Telugu Desam leadership to properly implement the new land acquisition law in the case of the Polavaram project. As per the promise given in the election, they appealed for the establishment of another district with Rampachodavaram as the headquarters for the convenience of the tribals.