Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Chief YS Sharmila Reddy on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the State government’s land acquisition plans for Amaravati, alleging that key decisions on the capital city are being influenced by a “real estate mafia.” She said people, especially farmers who gave their lands for the capital project, deserve full transparency before any fresh acquisition is initiated.

Addressing the media at Andhra Ratna Bhavan here, Sharmila recalled that 29,000 farmers voluntarily surrendered 34,000 acres in the first phase, trusting the assurances given by the government. Including government lands, a total of 54,000 acres were pooled for the Amaravati capital project. Yet, she said, the region shows “no meaningful progress even after 11 years.” There are no major structures, administrative buildings or visible infrastructure, she added, alleging that “wild weeds have replaced the promise of a world-class capital.” She expressed shock over reports that only 700 acres remain from the original land bank and demanded clarity on returnable plots, government usage, allocations to private companies and revenue earned. She questioned why these details were not available on the CRDA website and why the government had not released a White Paper.

Sharmila opposed the proposed second-phase acquisition of 20,000 acres, calling it coercive and unnecessary when the first-phase lands remain undeveloped. She argued that claims that Amaravati needs additional land to become a global city are misleading. Citing airport sizes in Mumbai, Bhogapuram and Gannavaram, she said the proposal to acquire 5,000 acres for a new airport is unjustified.

Questioning the plan to allot 2,500 acres for a sports city, she pointed out that Olympic venues in Beijing and London were built on less than 150 acre, alleging the new proposals favour corporate giants rather than farmers.