: The proposed pooling of land for diverting Eluru Canal to facilitate expansion of Vijayawada (Gannavaram) airport continues to be a stumbling block as a majority of the owners are yet to given their consent to give their holdings.
They are demanding that the runway should be redesigned in such a manner that it does not require the canal diversion.
Nearly 400 acres in seven villages – Pedavutapalli, Chinavutapalli, Kesarapalli, J. Nekkalam, Atkur, Gannavaram and Purushotthapatnam —will be affected by the canal diversion, which is sought to be evaluated by an expert committee.
Y. Narasimha Rao, a farmers’ union leader, told The Hindu that a re-survey was promised to be done but it remained on paper as the officials took decisions on their own without taking farmers into confidence.
He claimed there was basically no need for realignment of the canal which is the main source of supply of Krishna river water to Eluru town and other nearby villages in West Godavari district.
According to official sources, a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the canal passes through the above villages.
The farmers’ plea to shelve the proposal is being considered, but it is not likely to be conceded due to the procedural issues involved as a formal nod for the project has already been given.
A senior official of the Revenue Department said a majority of the farmers are willing to give up their lands, but provocation by some real estate businessmen who did not want to give away the residential layouts developed at huge costs, created the problem.
The land owners are demanding compensation at market rates or are flatly rejecting the very idea of diverting the canal. District Collector Babu A. had held discussions with the land owners earlier but a solution has not yet emerged. The government issued a G.O earlier this year for pooling 1,230 acres in 11 villages.
