Land Pooling Scheme-2 taken up with undue haste, ignoring Amaravati farmers: Sajjala

YSR Congress Party State coordinator Sajjala Rama Krishna Reddy on Saturday alleged that the coalition government had ignored the concerns of farmers in Amaravati by taking up Land Pooling Scheme II with undue haste. He said the government had no proper explanation for pooling an additional 50,000 acres when even basic development had not taken place on lands pooled under LPS I. He pointed out that many returnable plots were allotted in low-lying areas, making their sale extremely difficult, and accused the government of making unrealistic promises to farmers who came forward to give their lands under LPS II. Observing that development of Amaravati in the first phase alone required nearly ₹1 lakh crore, he said this raised serious doubts about when the capital project would actually be completed.

Mr. Rama Krishna Reddy further alleged that Amaravati had become a hub of scams and questioned the need for an oversized Secretariat, citing inflated construction costs and the awarding of contracts on a commission basis. He said Mr. Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was committed to the development of Amaravati and had demonstrated this even before the 2019 elections by building his house and the YSRCP central office in the area. In contrast, he alleged that Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu had not built a house in Amaravati so far and was staying in an illegal residence, and said people were wise enough to judge which leader had acted with honesty and integrity. The TDP-led government, he claimed, had raised more than ₹3 lakh crore in less than two years, whereas the YSRCP government borrowed ₹3.30 lakh crore over five years, of which ₹2.73 lakh crore was distributed under various welfare schemes through direct benefit transfer. He also alleged that Mr. Naidu was raking up the Amaravati issue to divert public attention from a secret deal struck with Telangana on the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme, adding that Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had revealed this on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.