Jagan questions ‘coercion of farmers’ for additional land in Amaravati

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday assured legal support to farmers from the Amaravati capital region, alleging that the NDA government was unfairly targeting landowners who had not surrendered their properties for the capital project. A group of farmers from several villages in the capital region met Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy at the YSRCP central office at Tadepalli and submitted him a representations on the “mounting pressure and harassment” by the government over land acquisition issues. The party would stand firmly with the affected farmers, the former Chief Minister said, and questioned the government’s decision to acquire additional land for the capital project when “significant portions of land already pooled remain underutilised.” Despite acquisition of 50,000 acres earlier, substantial progress had not been achieved on the ground, he alleged. Reiterating his earlier proposal of developing the Machilipatnam- Vijayawada-Guntur (MAVIGUN) region as an alternative administrative and economic hub, the YSRCP chief said the “region possesses several advantages, including port infrastructure, railway connectivity, national highway access and proximity to major urban centres.” He said investments already made in infrastructure, including development of Machilipatnam Port, make the region a more practical and cost-effective option for future growth. “In contrast, Amaravati requires enormous expenditure on basic infrastructure before large-scale development materialises,” he observed. Criticising Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the YSRCP chief alleged that continued emphasis on Amaravati was intended to benefit a select group of individuals and contractors. He further claimed that excessive project costs and contractor payments were placing a burden on the public exchequer. “Farmers who chose not to part with their lands should not be subjected to coercion or administrative pressure,” he said. The YSRCP legal team would assist the affected farmers, he said.