Admin capital a distant dream

Amaravati: The dream of administrative capital, proposed to come up in the area falling under Lingayapalem and Rayapudi villages, is unlikely to become a reality by 2018 as conceived by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Hiccups in the land pooling scheme may play spoilsport for the Naidu’s plans to mobilize funds from banks, apart from other sources.

The reported inability by the capital region development authority (CRDA) to transfer the developed plots with roads and the other infrastructure facilities physically triggers resistance from the farmers to delegate their rights over their lands to the government. If the lands are not legally transferred by way of registration in favour of the government, the latter cannot borrow loans from the banks by presenting the registered documents to bankers as collateral.

Besides, a chunk of 200 acres in the two villages falling under the administrative capital city is out of the LPS in view of resistance from the local farmers. The government is planning to enforce the land acquisition act to acquire nearly 3,000 acres in the capital region, which includes this chunk of 200 acres.

The LPS came into force following an agreement between the government and the farmers over transfer of their lands for the capital city and the mere agreement will no way help the later raise funds from banks by mortgaging the lands, an official from the CRDA told The Hans India.

It may be recalled that around 22,000 land owners have given their lands for the capital construction.
As per the LPS guidelines, the farmers are supposed to register their lands in favour of the CRDA and the CRDA will in turn ensure transfer of the developed plots.

Then only the government will have legal rights over these lands, the official said. As per the agreement, the CRDA shall hand over the developed plots to the extent of 1,000 plus 250 sq.yards for dryland and 1000sq.yards plus 450sq yards for jareebu (wetland) lands.

The state government has recently opened four new sub registrar offices in the Amaravati capital villages for completing the registration process. But the move failed to gather pace for want of motivation from farmers.

Majority of the landowners are reluctant to transfer their legal rights, demanding that the government hand them developed plots on ground with boundaries and roads to make way for their transfer of land rights in favour of the government, said a farmer K Srinivasa Rao.

Official sources in the CRDA cited several cases pending disposal in legal forums such as National Green Tribunal (NGT) as one of the hurdles hitting the process. In addition, clearances from the union ministry of environment and forests are yet to be accorded. Administrative capital is unlikely to come up without overcoming all these roadblocks, the official commented.