YSRCP Ambati Rambabu.
Amaravati: A day after the Andhra cabinet approved the second phase of land pooling for the greenfield capital city of Amaravati, YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu on Saturday accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of “deceiving farmers under the guise of building a world-class capital.”
On November 28, the cabinet cleared the second phase of the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) for Amaravati, involving the pooling of 16,666 acres from seven villages in the capital region.
The new phase is expected to add to the existing 54,000-acre land bank, of which 34,281 acres were pooled from 29,881 farmers across 29 villages.
“He (Naidu) is deceiving farmers in the name of building a world-class capital city… Farmers gave 35,000 acres a decade ago, yet they have not received the promised returnable plots,” Rambabu said in a press release.
Questioning why the government is allegedly unable to show the location of the plots even after 10 years, he accused ministers of “insulting farmers” when they raise concerns about their land rights.
Accusing the chief minister of pooling land “to benefit contractors and earn commissions,” the YSRCP leader described Naidu as the “real villain” behind delays in Amaravati’s development.
Although Naidu had said the capital would be built through a self-financing model without loans, Rambabu alleged that the government is borrowing “thousands of crores” from various financial institutions.
He further claimed that temporary buildings alone had cost Rs 680 crore and alleged that the government is spending Rs 11,000 per sq ft in Amaravati, “higher than the cost of the permanent Parliament building.”
The government, he alleged, was pushing farmers into a real estate crisis and paying contractors advances amounting to Rs 3,000 crore “without real work” while inflating estimates.
Rambabu demanded the immediate allocation and registration of returnable plots to farmers, saying they were “losing hope.”
Echoing his concerns, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila criticised the large-scale land pooling under the second phase. Addressing the media at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada, she questioned the fate of the existing 54,000-acre land bank with the TDP-led NDA government.
Alleging that the government is exaggerating the extent of development across the land bank, she said it was creating a “false impression” that a global city had already taken shape.
She demanded a white paper on Amaravati, seeking details on returnable plots allotted to farmers, land used for infrastructure, land allotted to companies and government agencies, projected revenues, and jobs expected to be generated.
“Why are these details not being displayed on the CRDA website?” she asked.
Sharmila also questioned the need for a proposed 5,000-acre airport in Amaravati, noting that Mumbai Airport operates on 1,850 acres, Bhogapuram Airport is coming up on 2,200 acres, and Gannavaram Airport uses 1,250 acres.
“Why does Chandrababu need 5,000 acres for an airport? Is there so much air traffic or business?” she asked.
She also criticised the plan for a 2,500-acre sports city, pointing out that Olympic cities such as Beijing and London developed facilities within 150 acres.
Alleging that funds were being diverted disproportionately to Amaravati, Sharmila said the government “has no money” for other development needs.
She further claimed that nearly 90 per cent of investment proposals at the recent CII Partnership Summit were focused on Visakhapatnam, with “only five per cent” directed toward Amaravati.
There was no immediate response from the TDP.
This post was last modified on November 29, 2025 10:32 pm