Chandrababu Naidu to convince farmers on land

 

Farmers holding fertile lands on Krishna riverfront are being brought to Hyderabad to meet Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday so that he can convince them to hand over their lands for construction of the capital city. 

These farmers have so far resisted all attempts by the government to woo them with annual financial packages and developed residential and commercial plots in lieu of their fertile lands.

 

Now, a substantial number of these farmers have expressed willingness to surrender their lands on the condition that the government enhances the financial and developed plots package. They want 100-300 sq. yards additional commercial plots in the capital city area in addition to 1,000 sq. yards residential and 300 sq. yards commercial plots offered in the earlier package. 

 

Sources said that the government’s announcement that it would go for land acquisition if farmers do not surrender their lands before February 28 did the trick. “It is up to CM N. Chandrababu Naidu to take a call on the percentage of enhancement in financial and land packages,” a source close to the Chief Minister’s Office told DC.

 

In the capital city area of Guntur district, TD leaders, including ministers, have been luring Jareebu land farmers by promising them hefty packages to complete the herculean task of land collection by February 28.  

The state government gave clear indication about acquiring lands under LAA through CRDA vice-chairman and minister for municipal administration, P. Narayana. A meeting was also held in the house of TD MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao with the Jareebu farmers’ leaders in which ministers Narayana and P. Pulla Rao warned that there would be no extension of the last date. They promised the Jareebu farmers a hefty package of Rs 1 lakh lease compensation per acre against the present Rs 50,000 per annum.

 

A CRDA official on condition of anonymity said that the CRDA and revenue department have proposed several packages like offering monthly social security pensions. He added that small farmers having lands below one acre were reluctant to give the lands under LPS and the government was thus planning to give one-acre lease compensation to these farmers to lure them. TD state secretary, B. Narasimha Rao, said that Jareebu farmers were ready to give their lands under LPS if Mr Naidu offered a good package. He said that the CM had given an appointment from 9 am to 11 am and they were readying to put their issues before Mr Naidu.