Amaravati Expansion: Why 16,666 More Acres Are Needed for Capital Dream

The Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu approved the proposal to authorise the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Commissioner to initiate a land pooling scheme in seven villages - Vaikuntapuram, Pedda Maddur, Endrai, Karlapudi, Vaddamanu, Harischandrapuram and Peddaparimi.

An area of 16,666.57 acres will be acquired under the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 55 of the APCRDA Act.

The Cabinet approval came a day after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stated the current 29-village footprint is inadequate to build a metropolitan entity comparable to Hyderabad.

During an interaction with farmers from Amaravati, he warned that if Amaravati remains confined to the existing area, it risks becoming only a municipality, not a capital-scale urban economy.

Naidu told the farmers that the government's expansion plan requires their support and pledged that every issue raised would be resolved.

The state government has already acquired 34,000 acres under land pooling for capital development works. An additional 16,000 acres came from endowment, forest, Waqf and Poramboke lands, taking Amaravati's footprint to 50,000 acres.

However, the proposal to acquire another 30,000 acres across 11 villages located outside the core capital grid is facing resistance from various quarters.

The government plans to build an international airport in Amaravati by acquiring an additional 30,000 acres.

Defending the proposal, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana had said that an international airport is required in Amaravati for foreign investors to come to Amaravati to set up smart industries.

The Cabinet approved the proposal to form a new corporation named 'AP Noor Basha/Dudekula Cooperative Finance Corporation' by abolishing the existing AP State Noor Basha/Dudekula Welfare and Development Corporation under the AP Cooperative Societies Act, 1964.

The government said that it is committed to fulfilling the long-standing demand for the establishment of a dedicated institutional mechanism for the Noor Basha/Dudekula community.

It recognised that the lack of a dedicated mechanism for their development has limited the progress of the community. Through the establishment of this Corporation, the government aims to eliminate the socio-economic inequalities faced by them, ensure equal opportunities and promote social and economic progress in line with the objectives of the Constitution of India.

- IANS