HYDERABAD: Faced by mounting criticism against the recent land auctions on the city outskirts, the Andhra Pradesh Government has announced a revised policy for acquisition of land for developmental works.

Transparency

The new policy is aimed at ``ensuring greater transparency and sharing the developed area with the original landowners, most of whom are farmers, in order to help them get more profits."

Announcing this at a press conference here on Saturday, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy said that under the new policy, farmers and landowners would get a share of the developed land in addition to the sale price.

In respect of the Musi project, the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) would share 40 per cent of the developed area while 60 per cent would be utilised for common amenities such as roads and parks. In case of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project, owners would be given 10 per cent of developed land in addition to higher land price. "Deviations and exemptions from the original design of the ORR would be dealt with sternly," he said.

The Chief Minister said the Government had no intention to cheat poor farmers by turning into a real estate broker as alleged by critics. It needed money earned through auction of lands to undertake various developmental activities and welfare programmes such as housing.

No new taxes

He maintained that the Government was not imposing any new taxes. "We do not want to go in for indiscriminate borrowings also. We have undertaken a massive housing programme under Indiramma. We have hiked the scholarships for BCs and others. We need the money thus raised from the auctions to fund these programmes. What is wrong in raising funds?"

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