As of now, the farmers in Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri (VGTM) seem to be not worried about the proposed 30,000 acre land acquisition by the Government for the purpose of capital. Banking on the capital buzz, they make the best out of the sky-rocketing prices of land in the region.
The price of agricultural land in VGTM has shot up phenomenally ever since it was declared as the capital region for Andhra Pradesh. The government, on its part, has made a couple of announcements on the likely acquisition of land from farmers. In a stern statement, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu himself had warned that there could be forceful acquisition if farmers are not willing to share the scarce resource.
“Why should we be worried about acquisition when there is no capital plan yet and no formal request for land. It’s all rumour so far and it is working well for us. It’s a one time opportunity for farmers. We made the best out of it,” said Mr. Rao from Vaikunthapuram near Amaravati who sold over ten acres at Rs. 60 lakh each a month ago. The same land is quoted Rs 1 crore an acre now.
Similar is the case with the farmers in other places in the region who are making merry out of an unexpected return from the land.
Vaikunthapuram is rumoured to have been zeroed in by the government for the construction of secretariat and a huge bridge over Krishna, connecting two hills. The area, which is about 30 km from Vijayawada, witnessed a buzz of activity from the day the Chief Minister took oath at Mangalagiri some four months ago. Sources from the government and the industry also say that there are certain definite plans chalked out for the place and visits by high level teams such as the one including Delhi Metro Rail Corporation E. Sreedharan support the view.
“Farmers are the happy lot here. We see top notch people buying land here. There is certainly something brewing in the corridors of power. Paltry land is going for exorbitant price. All are happy with big buck moving around,” said Amaravati-based realty businessman Mr. Krishna.
