The State government has pooled in more than 30,000 acres for the construction of a river front capital. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has notified 45, 625.37 acres out of which 37,624.15 acres is patta land.
The capital notified area covers 29 villages spread over three mandals of Thullur, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri.
Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana said on Saturday that land owners came out in large numbers and on a single day, gave consent letters for over 4,000 acres. He also added that panchayat offices would be kept open throughout the night. He said there would be no further extension of dead line and the government would acquire remaining lands through land acquisition.
The unprecedented response from land owners was surprising since farmers have resisted moves to acquire their lands in the beginning.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had preferred Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) in which land owners would be made stake holders in the development of an urban agglomeration to acquire more than 35,000 acres and the plan seemed to have worked out well.
Ever since Mr. Naidu stormed into power, he has been showcasing Guntur-Vijayawada as an ideal location for the new capital. Finally, he opted for a river front capital with a view to attracting potential investment.
The government finally zeroed in on Thullur and its surrounding areas as the core capital area in October.
