YS Sharmila Questions Chandrababu on the Need for Additional 44,000 Acres for Amaravati
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President YS Sharmila has raised serious doubts over the Amaravati capital project. She questioned the rationale behind the urgent requirement for an additional 44,000 acres of land when nearly 34,000 acres had already been acquired during the previous administration. Sharmila directly asked the government why clarity had not been provided on how the previously acquired land had been utilized.
“Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s actions resemble the saying ‘there is neither a bride nor a groom, yet a wedding is being planned,’” said YS Sharmila. She alleged that no clear development had taken place on the 34,000 acres already acquired in the name of Amaravati. “Now, under the pretext of revival, there is suddenly an urgent need for another 44,000 acres to build a ‘wonder world’. Creating illusions with graphics in the name of AI, and making people believe in something that doesn’t exist, is a trick only Chandrababu knows,” she said.
YS Sharmila alleged that the expansion of the capital was a conspiracy aimed at seizing valuable agricultural land from farmers at low prices and handing it over to his associates for real estate ventures. She claimed that the coalition government was more focused on land exploitation than on the actual construction of the people's capital, Amaravati. “There is no sincere intention to build the capital on the acquired lands,” she stated. “On behalf of the Congress party, we are questioning Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directly.”
She clarified that acquiring land for capital expansion was not inherently wrong and that the Congress was not opposed to the idea of a grand Amaravati. However, she demanded accountability, asking, “Where exactly is the capital on the 34,000 acres already acquired? The temporary structures are on the verge of collapse, the lands appear barren in all directions— is this the pride of the people of Andhra Pradesh? Where are the skyscrapers that were supposed to surpass Singapore’s skyline?”
Criticizing the move to acquire an additional 44,000 acres without establishing the first phase of the capital, Sharmila asked, “Is this not equivalent to deceiving farmers from another four mandals?” She pointed out that only 2,000 acres remain from the 34,000 acres acquired in Phase 1, and questioned what had happened to the remaining lands. “Who received the over 20,000 acres of non-seed capital land and the 15,000 acres of government land? Which institutions were allocated these lands, and on what basis?”
YS Sharmila demanded that Chandrababu Naidu release a comprehensive white paper detailing the use of the original 34,000 acres.