The Andhra Pradesh Government has notified 700 acres under land pooling for the development of the Amaravati core capital development. The notified area comes under 10 villages of Thullur mandal of Guntur district of the State. While the State Government has entrusted the task of pooling 33,000 acres in the Guntur district to the Capital Area Region Development Authority, so far farmers have given consent for land pooling for about 31,000 acres. Now, the Capital Region Development Authority is preparing 3D model of the seed capital of Amaravati to showcase it to investors and general public. The digital and physical models will be displayed at the CRDA office in Vijayawada.

AP develops Physica model of Amaravati:

The CRDA says a physical model would assist the public to observe, understand, measure and engage with Capital City Development Project. It will be a tool for planners, urban designers and architects who require an overview of the capital city. According to a CRDA official, three master plans had been prepared — a draft capital region plan (perspective plan), draft capital city master plan (detailed master plan) and draft capital seed development master plan (area development plan).

“The visual perspective of a building a capital city that can be achieved with a physical model is a unique experience. When combined with its physical presence it creates a tangible experience for the viewer. The 3D city model in physical model form to visualize the master plan in detail. The 3D city model can be used in urban planning and development control activities,” said the official.

Farmers protest land acquisition for capital construction:

Though some farmers from these 29 villages willingly handed over their lands under the land pooling scheme — under which the government will return a part of the acquired land after developing it — to the land owner, many others are opposing the move. The farmers, apart from expressing concerns about their livelihood, argued whether the capital under construction actually requires such huge tracts.

The government is planning to acquire the most fertile lands in the state which cost about Rs 2 crore an acre, they claimed. Congress, YSR Congress, CPI and CPI(M) also joined the farmers and participated in the protest. Kalyan, founder of Jana Sena Party, voiced his opposition to any move to acquire lands under the land acquisition act. His extensive campaign in last year’s elections is considered one of the major factors for the victory of TDP-BJP combine.