AP capital to come up in Guntur district.

The new capital of Andhra Pradesh would come up in Guntur district with the government identifying 30,000 acres across 17 villages for building the required infrastructure for various public utilities, besides the Secretariat and the Assembly.

The issue was discussed at a marathon Cabinet meeting after which the Cabinet sub-committee on land pooling met and decided the modalities.

Briefing reporters later, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao said the farmers in 14 villages of Tullur and three villages of Managalgiri mandals would be convinced and a system of land pooling would be adopted for taking the land. He also announced that the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri urban body would be abolished and a new Capital Region Development Authority would be constituted.

He said that from Friday the process of convincing farmers would start and pooling would be completed in nine months. The government would pay Rs. 25,000 per acre per year for 10 years to each farmer who parted with his land. There would be a five per cent increase every year and by the end a decade the amount would be Rs. 37,500. Nearly 20 per cent of the 30,000 acres might be government land, he added.


THE HINDU