The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which is responsible for building AP's proposed capital Amaravati, has put all its plans on hold after sending a notification to river bank farmers for land acquisition as the farmers have refused to part with their land.
"The government has decided to keep the land acquisition process on hold for a few weeks. Meanwhile, LPS seems to have come almost to an end as farmers are not willing to part with their land.There is virtually no activity in our offices," a CRDA official told the Times of India.
Meanwhile, farmers blocked the road near the Prakasam bridge, and raised slogan against the land acquisition. They also demanded that the government should reach an amicable solution with them before laying the foundation stone in October.
This comes two days after Telugu film star and Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan asked the TDP government to withdraw the notification and strongly opposed forcible land acquisition for the state's proposed capital.
He had also urged the government to resolve the issue amicably by convincing farmers with written assurances that their interests will be protected.
"Give legal protection to whatever you are promising to farmers. Give it in writing. Tomorrow, when you may not be in power, what will happen to these farmers?" he asked.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been repeatedly stating that people are voluntarily giving up 33,000 acres of land for the capital under the land pooling system.