Andhra Pradesh government firm on new collectorate site

Khammam: Setting aside objections raised by the Opposition parties, the state government is going ahead with its first proposal for the location of the district collectorate at V. Venkatayapalem under Raghunathapalem mandal. Pushing matters, road and buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao is backing district officials to go ahead with the work.

The notification to acquire 26 acres of land has been issued. As many as 22 farmers, whose nine acres fall in the proposed site, are refusing to give their lands but the government plans to implement Land Acquisition Act-2013. The farmers have said that the Rs 12 lakh being offered to them is inadequate.

It may be recalled that the government officials persuaded 30 farmers who had 17 acres at the site, to hand over their land at Rs 1 crore per acre. The remaining farmers want Rs1.50 crore per acre. With this, government decided to acquire the land under the land acquisition Act. Some farmers are considering moving courts over the matter.

The Congress, CPI, CPM, CPI(ML) New Democracy and Telugu Desam have staged dharnas and relay hunger strikes against the government move.With this, the government asked senior officials of the road and buildings department for a report. Based on the report, the government decided that the V. Venkatayapalem site was the best. The land acquisition notification has been given based on the report given by the senior officials.