The Andhra Pradesh State government on Tuesday launched the exercise of returning 2,180 acres of land to the farmers from the controversial Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) by registering the land to them on the Kakinada coast in East Godavari district.
In March, the State government had promised the return of lands along with exemption of stamp duty. The KSEZ is located in Thondangi and U. Kothappalli mandals.
Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy told The Hindu that revenue teams on Tuesday began verification of the documents (land ownership/transfer) of farmers by visiting the villages as part of preparation for the land registration. The registration would be done as soon as the government issued a G.O. exempting payment of stamp duty for the process.
At a high-level meeting convened by Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu and State officials here on Monday night, it was told that 1,357 acres in the KSEZ area would be returned to the owners while in lieu of a chunk of 823 acres in the heart of the KSEZ, alternative land outside the KSEZ would be given to farmers.
Denotification
Mr. Kannababu said six habitations - Srirampura, Bandipeta, Mummidivaripodu, Potuvaripalem, Raavivaripodu and Ramaraghavapuram - had been excluded from the KSEZ jurisdiction.
The police department had been directed to withdraw the cases registered against the protesters of KSEZ.
In the case of 657 acres of assignment land located in the KSEZ, those who were enjoying it would be offered a compensation of ₹10 lakh per acre by June-end. “The Revenue and KSEZ authorities should coordinate and complete the task in time,” said Mr. Kannababu.