Narendra (25) of Velagapudi village in Amaravati is the proud owner of two horses, one of which is the premium breed Panchakalyani. The farmer’s son attributes the family’s instant riches to the State government’s decision to go for land pooling to develop the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. His father could afford to buy the horses to fulfil his childhood dream, he says.
Such stories are not uncommon in 29 villages of Amaravati including Velagapudi, where the Secretariat is located. Not just horses, even expensive luxury cars are found parked outside the new buildings.
Many farmers who contributed more than 33,000 acres towards the land pool for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh want Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu back as Chief Minister. A key factor is their apprehension that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) may shift some development activity to its heartland in the Rayalaseema region if it comes to power.
Ever since the TDP government announced Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh after Telangana was formed, the price of land had soared from ₹20 lakh an acre to ₹4 crore. The subsequent land pooling scheme was a substantial success in the region, in which the government offered developed plots (1,000 sq.ft for residential and 250 sq.ft for commercial) and an annual compensation of ₹30,000 to ₹50,000 an acre for 10 years, depending on the classification of land. The land-pooling exercise worked well in areas where the Kamma community, to which Mr. Naidu belongs, is in a majority or constitutes a sizeable proportion. Now, with urban development activity gathering pace, people here aspire for a stable government. “We know that the TDP is winning here,” Mr. Narendra says. “We want the party to win across the State.”
The beneficiaries of the land pooling do not seem to mind some of the unfulfilled promises such as roads, underground drains and power infrastructure.
“Our residential and commercial plots are already marked, and we are sure that they will be developed soon,” said a farmer from Nelapadu, where a temporary building of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and numerous other structures are under development. “We don’t mind the delay as the much-needed building and road infrastructure is coming up here. The YSR Congress, if voted to power, will spoil this and shift development to other places,” he says, on condition of anonymity.
However, not everybody in the region views the TDP government’s efforts favourably. Several farmers living near the banks of the Krishna, especially at Nidamarru, Penumaka, Vundavalli and Errabalem villages, dominated by the Reddy community, refused to part with their land (about 3,000 acres) for the capital demanding better compensation.
Voices of protest
“Owing to the proximity to the river bank, our land is always more fertile and costly,” says K.S. Reddy from Penumaka. “When the other lands were selling at ₹20 lakh, our land was quoted at ₹4 crore an acre. The government refused to recognise this fact and started troubling us with a lot of restrictions. The result: the market price per acre has come down by a crore,” he says.
In addition, the farmers here accuse the TDP government of promoting the Kamma community and discriminating and harassing others, especially the Reddys.
After an alleged arm-twisting exercise for land acquisition, the farmers approached the High Court and obtained an order enabling them to continue farming.
“As we see, the government has failed in farm waiver and other promises,” said Koti Reddy, another farmer from Penumaka. “People’s money is misused and wasted on advertisements to show development in graphics. We need an alternative to this government,” he argued.
