Asserting that the government could not forcibly take away the lands of farmers for capital construction, former High Court judge P. Lakshman Reddy said the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 was the best way for willing farmers to derive genuine value for their properties.
Those not interested in giving their lands could flatly refuse to toe the line of the government which has to ultimately comply with the revised Land Acquisition Act after giving up its attempts at land pooling.
Addressing a regional seminar on ‘Development of Andhra Pradesh- Capital city’ organized by Jana Chaitanya Vedika here on Friday, Mr. Reddy cautioned farmers against believing the tall assurances being given by the government, as fulfilling them was not an easy task and because the very process of land pooling was fraught with legal complications.
For instance, Section 10 of the 2013 Act prohibited acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land and even if it was done under exceptional circumstances provided therein, equal areas of wasteland which could be cultured have to be developed for agricultural purposes.
This was aimed at preventing urbanisation from jeopardising food security needed by the burgeoning population.
Former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was misguided on the issue of Capital and that there was absolutely no need for 30,000 acres of land for construction of what Mr. Naidu wanted to be a world-class Capital.
Instead of devising grandiose plans with the help of foreigners, Mr. Naidu could draw from the experience of experts available in India and avoid huge burden entailed by capital construction by making down-to-earth plans which would protect the farmers and general public.
“The Chief Minister should explain why the Capital needs 30,000 acres when there are some ‘core capitals’ in the world built in only hundreds of acres”, the former Minister demanded. He alleged that attempts were being made to dilute the revised LA Act while farmers and other stakeholders continued to be in the dark about a host of issues related to the capital.
