Phase-2 of land pooling slowed by farmers’ demands

THe indorse stage of getting o'er 16,000 acres of shore under land pooling system for the expansion of Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh is posing a tough challenge for the state government, people familiar with the matter said.On November 28, the state cabinet approved acquisition of over 16,666.57 acres in seven villages under land pooling system for key capital infrastructure, including the proposed railway station, sports city, airport, smart city, and the inner ring road.Accordingly, the state government issued a notification on December 2, seeking to undertake land pooling in Vaikunthapuram (3,361 acres); Pedamadduru (1,145 acres); Endroyi (2,166 acres); Karlapudi (2,944 acres); Vaddamanu (1,913) acres; Harishchandrapuram (2,418 acres); and Pedaparimi (6,513) acres.When combined with assigned government lands, the total extent intended for acquisition in the second phase adds up to 20,494 acres.In the first phase of land pooling in 2015-16, the Naidu government acquired 34,000 acres under the land pooling system. Now with the proposed acquisition of another 16,666 acres, the total land contributed by farmers for the capital city would be an estimated 50,000 acres.State municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana said the land pooling will be carried out only with the consent of farmers. “We shall extend same benefits that were extended to farmers during the previous phase of land pooling,” he said.However, a senior official familiar with the development said the second phase of land pooling is easier said than done, as several farmers in these seven villages are raising a lot of queries and putting forth major demands.“Though majority of the farmers in these villages have no objection to giving their land for the second phase of Amaravati, they are a little apprehensive about the project, in the wake of the practical issues still being faced by the farmers in the first phase, even after 10 years,” he said.For the last two weeks, a three-member committee comprising municipal administration minister P Narayana, Guntur MP and Union minister of state for rural development Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Tadikonda MLA Shravan Kumar have been holding a series of meetings with the farmers of affected villages in the second phase of land pooling.“The farmers are putting forth two major sets of demands; enhanced annual lease amounts and clearer guarantees on social infrastructure including education and healthcare,” the official quoted above said.A farmer from Vaddamanu village, who refused to be quoted said they were asking for increased annuity payment than what was offered during the first phase of land pooling.Under the original arrangement in the first phase of land pooling, farmers were paid an annual lease of ₹30,000 per acre for dry lands and ₹50,000 per acre for fertile (wet) lands, with incremental increases each year. “We now want a minimum of Rs. 60,000 per acre per year for Phase-II Amaravati project,” the farmer said.The farmers are also asking for bigger residential plots, compared to the first phase. As per the agreement signed with APCRDA in the first phase, the farmers were allotted 250-400 square yards of commercial plot, depending on the location, besides 1,000-1250 square yards square yards of residential plots in the capital region, for every acre of land they had surrendered to the authority.“Now, we are asking for an allotment of 1,400 square yards of developed plots per acre in return for every acre of land we surrender under land pooling,” the farmer said.Narayana said 1,250 square yards of plot had also been allotted earlier for upland areas. “Since all these seven villages falling under the second phase of land pooling have dry lands, it may not be possible to increase the plot size in the present framework,” he said.At a meeting held at Vaddamanu last week, farmers brought to the notice of the three-member committee that majority of them had taken agricultural loans and requested that these loans be waived.“Individual farmers have outstanding loans ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh, with all relevant documents currently held by banks and cooperative societies. As these documents are required for land pooling and loan waiver was essential to enable smooth participation in the process,” another farmer said.The municipal administration minister said the government would examine their demand and see whether such a complete loan waiver of such magnitude would be feasible or not. “We shall discuss the matter with the chief minister to find a solution,” he said.Healthcare and education services are another major focus. Farmers want explicit clarity on what medical facilities will be accessible once their lands fall within the capital development zone, and what educational opportunities will be available to their children.The farmers are also asking the government how long it would take for the pooled land to be developed. Narayana told the farmers that development would be completed within three years, or at most four years.“We shall be in trouble, if it gets delayed, as if there is any change in government, we shall be put to disadvantage. We need proper safeguards,” the farmer quoted above said.