Even as the police picket in the villages that witnessed burning of farm fields and equipment continues, farmers of the river front villages started submitting signed affidavits giving their consent to land pooling at a meeting attended by Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana.
The absence of any discordant note from farmers was surprising given that they had offered spirited resistance to land pooling till recently. There was a series of fire in six villages. The residents alleged that a massive police force swooped on the six villages, setting up check points and farmers were picked up on the pretext of investigation.
The situation has changed ever since with farmers not raising any questions on Thursday on land pooling. Over 150 farmers attended the meetings at Malkapuram, Rayapudi and Mandhadam and said they would give away their lands as part of land pooling.
Buoyed by the farmers’ response, the Minister said the State government was keen to set up a temporary capital by the end of June.
The identification of the site would be decided by January 14 and an announcement would be made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu when he was expected to visit Thullur for Sankranthi festivital.
Short term tenders would be invited for construction of a temporary capital and the work would begin by the end of the month, he said. The government would acquire 30,000 acres in the first phase which would be divided into five sectors. Minister for Agriculture P. Pulla Rao too allayed concerns of the farmers and said the land pooling was the best available option and promised farmers to extend all support.
Collector Kantilal Dande said farmers who do not have land records or pass books could obtain them from the competent authorities residing in the villages. Instructions were given to provide manual pass books, he said.
