CM pushes for land grabbing law based on Gujarat model

New Delhi : Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Roads, Transport, and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday to discuss various state-related issues.

During his meeting with Amit Shah, Naidu advocated for the speedy implementation of ongoing projects and sought support for upcoming proposals, for which the state would soon submit detailed project reports. He also reportedly had an in-depth discussion on the political landscape in Andhra Pradesh, including the MLC elections and the Rajya Sabha seat that became vacant following the resignation of YSRCP member Vijayasai Reddy.

Later, while addressing the media, Naidu stated that he had urged the Home Minister to approve the AP Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill, 2024, which the state Assembly had sent to the Centre. He emphasized that this bill would enable demonstrative action against pending land-grabbing cases from the YSRCP regime. The legislation, he noted, was modeled after Gujarat's land laws. Naidu highlighted that the lack of proper checks and balances in the land digitization process had led to widespread encroachments, which were categorized under Section 22E by the previous government to facilitate illegal land grabs. The Chief Minister also briefed Amit Shah on the measures taken to curb the ganja menace in the state and urged him to expedite the approval of a related bill sent to the Centre. Regarding his discussions with Nitin Gadkari, Naidu stated that he had requested the speedy completion of National Highway projects, particularly the Eastern Bypass Road and the 189 km Outer Ring Road (ORR) for Amaravati.

He suggested that the ORR be an eight-lane road to accommodate future traffic demands. Additionally, he proposed exploring the feasibility of widening the Srisailam road or constructing an elevated corridor.

Naidu also raised the need for developing the Visakhapatnam-to-Mulapet Coastal Road and a direct Hyderabad-to-Machilipatnam road. In response, Gadkari assured him that all proposals would be examined positively.