Warangal: KUDA backtracks on land pooling due to opposition from land owners

Warangal: The Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) has put off its process to pool the land due to severe backlash from the land owners, mainly farmers, from 27 villages under the KUDA limits. Though the land pooling process is said to be a win-win situation for both the land owners and the KUDA, the hasty […]

Warangal: The Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) has put off its process to pool the land due to severe backlash from the land owners, mainly farmers, from 27 villages under the KUDA limits. Though the land pooling process is said to be a win-win situation for both the land owners and the KUDA, the hasty and foolish actions of the officials of the urban development authority had sparked unwarranted agitations from the land owners, according to a senior TRS party leader.

Meanwhile, a joint meeting with MLAs Aroori Ramesh, Challa Dharma Reddy, KUDA chairman Sangamreddy Sunder Raj Yadva, Hanamkonda and Warangal District Collectors Rajiv Gandhi Hanumanthu and Dr B Gopi respectively, and KUDA Vice-Chairperson P Pravinya has been held at the KUDA office in Hanamkonda on Wednesday to discuss the matter. “The MLAs have suggested not proceeding further with the land pooling in view of the apprehensions of the farmers. It was discussed that a lot of unfounded apprehensions are present amongst the farmers about the framework and the procedure of land pooling. Therefore, in view of the above, it has been jointly decided that the land pooling for proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR) growth corridor is temporarily put on hold till such time that each and every landowner / farmer is explained the process of land pooling in detail and how it benefits them. It is also clarified that there is no compulsory acquisition whatsoever in the land pooling process (SIC),” said a statement issued by the KUDA VC Pravinya.

KUDA issued a notification in a newspaper on April 30 proposing land pooling along the Outer Ring Road growth corridor covering 27 villages. It has proposed to pool 21,510.02 acres of the land abutting the ORR under five Assembly constituencies-Warangal West, Warangal East, Parkal, Wardhannapet and Station Ghanpur- under the limits of Hanamkonda, Warangal and Jangaon districts. Following this, the farmers, who formed a joint action committee (JAC) led by one Buddhe Venkanna, staged protests in their respective villages and in Hanamkonda. They have met the officials, and MLAs requesting the government to withdraw its decision.

Meanwhile, sources said that the land owner had also urged the MLAs to see that TRS working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao issue a statement stating that the government would not take the lands from the land owners through the land pooling by the KUDA.