A.P. Govt. to use land pooling system for Masula port project.

Barely three weeks after issuing a notification to acquire nearly 14,500 acres of private land for the Machilipatnam deep sea port and other port-based industries, the State Government is now says it will use the Land Pooling System (LPS) option.

There has been stiff resistance from farmers and fishermen to parting with their land under the mandatory land acquisition law.

The administration is trying to rake together more than 30,000 acres for various industries, including 14,500 acres of private land and 16,000 acres of government land.

According to an official release issued recently, Krishna District Collector Babu A said the State Government would soon issue a notification to gather 14,000 acres of private land through the LPS for the deep-sea port and port-based industries in Machilipatnam and Pedana mandals.

Mr. Babu, Irrigation Minister Devenini Umamaheswara Rao, Machilipatnam MP K. Narayana, Excise Welfare Minister K. Ravindra, Pedana MLA K. Venkata Rao and District Revenue Officer P. Saibaba reviewed the possibility of using the LPS option during a meeting in Vijayawada recently.

'Mr. Babu said that out of the 30,000 acres to be gathered, nearly 1200 acres of land will be developed as residential and industrial sites as per the master plan and returned to the owners,' according to a press release.

The master plan being prepared by the State Government includes a township of 7,000 acres.


THE HINDU