TDP commercial agenda to the fore: YS Jagan

22 Apr 2015 5:15 PM

Vizianagaram, Continuing the diatribe against the anti-farmer policies of the TDP Government, Leader of Opposition, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy rubbished the proposal of the State to acquire 15,000 acres of land for developing an international airport despite protests from locals.

“The commercial agenda of the TDP Government has once again come to the fore with its proposal to acquire 15,000 acres of land at Bhogapuram to jack up the real estate prices at the cost of the fertile land of farmers,” he told reporters here on Wednesday.

“Without considering the feasibility of the existing airport at Visakhapatnam and if land is available in surrounding areas the State announcing that it will go for an international airport in an extent of 15,000 acres of land is irrational.

No international airport in the country has such a large extent of land and the acquisition would adversely affect the farmers, he said. While Chennai international is built in an extent 1,223 acres, Mumbai is in 2,000 acres and Cochin airport is built in 800 acres.

The existing airport in Visakhapatnam is in an area of 350 acres and can be upgraded by looking for land in the surrounding areas instead of going for a new airport at Bhogapuram by acquiring land of farmers,” he said.

“The farmers are already in trouble as they got a raw deal in the loan waiver scheme and the amount released is not even matching the interest accrued and such moves will further push the farmers into a tight corner of despair,” he said.