Andhra Pradesh: 2 municipalities in Amaravati region to be developed to stop dropping land prices

The government said developing the two municipal areas would lead to increase in the value of land, which fell following the government’s decision on three capitals.

The government also denotified 13 villages which were under the erstwhile capital region and merged them with the Mangalagiri and Tadepalli municipalities.

In two separate government orders, the government merged Atmakur, Nowluru, Bethapudi, Yerrabalem and Chinakakani into the Mangalagiri Municipality in Guntur District. While Prathuru, Vaddeswaram, Penumaka, Ippatam, Mellempudi, Chirravuru, Gundemeda and Undavalli were merged into the Tadepalli Municipality.

At Monday’s meeting, while reiterating that Amaravati will only be developed as the state’s Legislative capital, Jagan told the delegation that Rs 1,100 crore was being allocated to develop both municipalities with a significant portion of the investment going towards civic infrastructure.

An official said Jagan assured the farmers that with this decision, the development will in the region will be similar to that of a capital city.

“No farmer will face any injustice from the government. We are going to consider the requests you put in front of us. After laying roads in the two municipalities and development of infrastructure, the area will be automatically developed and the farmers themselves can sell their lands for good prices. In the next 2-3 months, development work in the Amaravati region will also take place and before that, the farmers can come up with their issues and requirements in their villages. The government will certainly consider them,” Jagan is said to have told the delegation, according to those present at the meeting.

Siva Reddy of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samiti, comprising farmers and landowners, said Jagan assured that their grievances would be looked into. “The CM said that the government won’t do injustice to anyone. He said the government’s intention is to develop all districts and Amaravati will be continue to be the Legislative Capital,” he said.

Muncipal Administration and Urban Development Minister B Satyanarayana, who also met the farmers’ delegation, said that Amaravati is not Vijayawada or Guntur; it comprises basic villages with fertile agricultural lands. “To develop these lands and make constructions to provide minimum basic infrastructure, we have to spend Rs 2 crore on every acre and also require over Rs 1 lakh crore, as told by the previous government itself. In the last five years, Chandrababu Naidu has spent only Rs 5,674 crore, of which, Rs 2,297 crore are yet to be repaid as loans. If we invest at least 10 percent of this expenditure on Visakhapatnam, the city will yield a lot of opportunities for future generations, who needn’t go to other states in search of jobs,” he said.