Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that the Congress government was acquiring lands to establish industries and tackle the problem of unemployment by generating more jobs.
Addressing a public meeting in Vemulawada on Wednesday, he said that land acquisition was essential for development and industrial growth. To support the affected landowners, the state government is offering significantly higher compensation — tripling land values in areas where acquisitions are taking place, addressing the inadequacies of the current land acquisition act, which provides lower compensation, he maintained.
“The existing Land acquisition Act does not provide adequate compensation to farmers and landowners, who lose their lands for development projects,” he said.
“To address this, I directed the chief secretary and district collectors to revise land values set by the state government. The revised compensation will be three times the existing value. For instance, a farmer receiving ₹10 lakh under the old Act will now receive Rs 30 lakh. These changes will encourage farmers to willingly hand over their lands for development projects,” he said.
The Chief Minister highlighted their approach, contrasting it with the policies of the BRS government. He accused the opposition of using "rowdy gangs" to disrupt land acquisition efforts and creating hurdles for projects aimed at providing employment.
Reddy alleged that the BRS government had forcibly acquired lakhs of acres for the Kaleshwaram project. This submerged 16 villages and the farmers were never adequately compensated. In stark contrast, the Congress government was acquiring only 1,100 acres of non-agricultural land across four villages in Kodangal for industrial development, he pointed out.
“I am not acquiring lakhs of acres like the BRS leaders did. My goal is to bring industries to my constituency and provide jobs to our youth. Why is the BRS opposing this” he questioned.
He accused the BRS government of mismanaging irrigation projects. He claimed that former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao prioritised personal and familial interests and constructed Kondapochamma sagar and Ranganayakasagar projects to benefit farmhouses owned by his family members.
“Rao spent over Rs 1.80 lakh crore on irrigation projects in 10 years but failed to provide any tangible irrigation facilities to farmers. Konda Pochamma sagar project was designed to supply water to his farmhouse, while Ranganayaka sagar project was earmarked for the farmhouse owned by his nephew Harish Rao,” Revanth alleged.
He took aim at Chandrashekar Rao’s family, particularly his son K.T. Rama Rao and newphew T. Harish Rao, for using inflammatory language against Congress leaders. “Will he condone the language used by his son and nephew? Shouldn’t we be setting up industries and providing jobs instead of obstructing development?” he asked.
Revanth Reddy accused Harish Rao of illegally transferring government-acquired lands for his personal use.
“He has a history of encroaching lands meant for public projects, including those under the Ranganayaka sagar project. Why is the opposition now showing hostility towards my constituency Kodangal, when I am trying to acquire lands to set up industries?” he wondered.
“Our government is focused on balancing development with the rights of farmers and landowners,” he said, promising transparency and accountability in all land acquisitions.
The Chief Minister vowed to complete the Narayanpet-Kodangal lift irrigation project and push forward industrialisation initiatives despite opposition resistance.
