Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati : Past Perfect, Present Tense

Amaravati, the land Chandrababu Naidu wanted to make the best capital city in the world, has crashed. In terms of real estate prices. This was after YS Jaganmohan Reddy brought almost all construction work taking place in the capital region to a halt.

Naidu had acquired 33000 acres of fertile land from close to 28000 farmers in 29 villages in Krishna and Guntur districts under a land pooling arrangement. As per this agreement, the farmers were promised 1000 sq yards of residential and 250 sq yards of commercial land for each acre of land given to the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA). Since the capital project was a long gestation project, the agreement envisaged each farmer getting Rs 30000 to 50000 per acre as rent (depending on whether the land was fertile or not), with a 10 per cent increase every year. 

What Amaravati would look like, as envisaged by the architects (Pic courtesy : CRDA)

With Jagan calling it a scam to benefit a few top leaders of the Telugu Desam, Amaravati’s stock has gone down. Property dealers who had mushroomed in the area in the last four years, say there are no buyers for apartments or villas or even land. A one acre plot that went for Rs 1-1.5 crore depending on its location now has gone down to Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Even the farmers who were to receive the Rs 30000 to 50000 for the year in May, have not received it till now. 

Krishna Rao, a farmer who gave up his land on which he grew three crops a year, in the hope of getting a pot of gold a decade later is keeping his fingers crossed. 

“The government is a permanent entity. Decisions involving so many people cannot be changed overnight, with the change in the party in power. The new CM should clarify on the status of Amaravati. After all, we all gave our land,” says Krishna Rao. 

The YSRCP government is not making any bones about its intention to probe Amaravati. Party general secretary YV Subba Reddy says it will investigate the land sale deals that were struck before and after the announcement of the capital. 

Moreover, if Jagan goes ahead with the appointment of Alla Ramakrishna Reddy as the new Chairman of CRDA, it would reveal his mind. Reddy, a practising farmer was one of the fiercest critics of the land pooling arrangement and can be expected to dismantle much of the work done by the previous regime. 

The Telugu Desam on the other hand, is livid at how Brand Amaravati is being diluted. Nara Lokesh, who incidentally lost to Ramakrishna Reddy in the Mangalagiri constituency, says every effort is being made to kill it. Naidu had estimated that it will cost Rs 50000 crore to build the 21st century modern capital and had brought in experts from Singapore to help with the capital plan.

“The Governor’s address to the new Assembly last week did not even mention Amaravati. Consultants and workers are leaving Amaravati because work has been stopped,” Lokesh told Filter Kaapi

Early this year, Amaravati had hosted the Happy Cities Summit. Looking at its present state, Amaravati with its fertile land with the Krishna flowing by can be best defined as Past Perfect, Present Tense. 

And the future looks bleak as well. 

1 reply »

  1. The capital city for AP has to be changed…
    The decision on Amaravati as capital is just a one sided or one man’s (the great Chamba) decision for the sake of keeping the “guttadhipatyam” in the hands of their cunning community..but it is very worst decision taken by the one worst govts with the cheap &nasty idea…but this decision or it’s owner chemba killed the future of agriculture and farmers over there who are having the good crops with good incomes across 3 seasons…chemba demolished such very good cultivation lands for just his cheap & cunning mentality…
    Moreover the land in the Amaravati isn’t supposed to be for constructing big concrete buildings this was already expressed by many agricultural/environmental experts ….Sivaramakrishnan committee has also suggested the same…but then govt didn’t consider such opinions of the people or experts or the objections of then opposition party….moreover the chemba wasted lot money for his publicity and for his tours on the name of capital city…if you see now over there there are just no developments as per chemba & his gangs words, there are just few apartments with lowest qualities..look like a normal real estate ventures….that’s it no actual & proper improvements apart from publicity in yellow media…the worst part is chemba pressurising the cinema directors for construction of capital…is this a 2 and half hrs of movie or what!….
    One thing is clear that capital city has to be shifted to Donakonda or some other place where govt is having plenty of lands without grabbing lands from farmers as per the guidelines given by Sivaramakrishnan committee…
    The yellow gang is saying the farmers given land to govt without force…it’s completely fake and this yellow media and then govt warned/stopped the farmers forcefully from doing agitations in multiple ways…this is true…moreover there will be no more agitations from actual farmers and people on changing the capital especially from the same regions of Guntur & Krishna …people will feel really happy on changing the capital…the only one yellow batch “kamma terrorists” will bark in their yellow media for few days …that’s it …nothing more else …you might have observed this in social/normal media that only yellow gang only supporting the chemba’s decision and defending when ever & whoever talks the facts on capital or Amaravati by telling about the Hyderabad/Cyberabad for which they actually hijacked the credit with the help of their poisonous media as it was actually developed by RAJIV GANDHI, P JANARDHAN REDDY & P V N Rao who actually seeded and developed…the chemba is the one who actually hijacked the credit with his kamma terrorist media..the fact is the IT sector was ruined and went to it’s lowest rate of growth in his term only….the YSR actually took the IT back to progressive growth to it’s all time high growth rate and competes with BLR in his ruling period…you can also cross check the facts with the statistics…..but this dangerous yellow media ruined the people minds also by hiding the facts and always tries to give credit to chemba that he has actually done nothing on his own…chemba just did inside trading/scams with lands before starting the IT buildings in Hyderabad for their yellow people…he followed the same way and same thing here also in deciding the capital city for AP…the chemba ruined the future of all sections of people especially farmers and youth of AP…he shouldn’t be excused for this…
    If present YSRCP govt really having guts towards actual development for AP state and it’s people like farmers and youth in terms of employment with long sight …they have to change the capital city as per Sivaramakrishnan committee…the present Amaravati can be given back to farmers and can be made as agriculture hub….😊👍🙏

    Like

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