From the very beginning, opposition parties — particularly the YSR Congress Party — and various social activists, including retired IAS officers E A S Sarma and IYR Krishna Rao, have alleged that Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is turning his dream capital, Amaravati, into a full-fledged real estate venture.
Except for the core capital area — which includes the Amaravati Government Complex (AGC) comprising the secretariat, state legislature, high court, and residential quarters for MLAs, MPs, MLCs, All India Service officers, and state government employees, covering around 2,000 to 3,000 acres — the remaining 34,000 acres acquired through land pooling are open for development.
While the Naidu government has allocated portions of this land to central government institutions and other establishments, this accounts for no more than another 2,000 to 3,000 acres.
For the farmers who surrendered their land for the capital, the government allotted residential and commercial plots across a few thousand acres.
The rest of the land is being sold to private entities, including educational institutions, hotels, IT companies, and other business ventures — essentially turning it into a real estate operation.
According to recent reports, the appetite for land acquisition has not diminished. Naidu is now reportedly planning to acquire an additional 30,000 to 40,000 acres under the guise of infrastructure projects, including an international airport.
He is said to have directed the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to identify land in villages located within the core capital zone, across Guntur and Krishna districts.
While officials claim the land will be used for the Outer Ring Road, connecting roads, the international airport, and other infrastructure, sources suggest the real motive is to sell the land to generate funds — allegedly to repay loans from the World Bank, HUDCO, and private lenders.
Needless to say, this latest plan could open the door to widespread corruption, potentially turning Amaravati into the largest real estate venture in the country.
