Gannavaram Airport project on rocks

VIJAYAWADA: A row between revenue officials and the villagers of Davojigudem, Buddavaram, Kesarapally and Ajjampudi is brewing with the latter determined not to give up their lands cheap for the expansion of Gannavaram airport.Farmers of these villages in Gannavaram mandal have given a warning of sorts to the revenue officials not to enter their villages without announcing adequate compensation. The villagers are demanding compensation equivalent to the market value of the land.It has been proposed to acquire nearly 440 acres in these villages for the Gannavaram airport development project. The market value of the land ranges from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 8 crore per acre. The government will be offering only Rs 12 lakh to Rs 30 lakh based on registration value.“We are not ready to give our lands if the government pays less than Rs 60 lakh per acre,” says Kollipara Satyavara Prasad, a farmer of Davojigudem.Lands of many farmers in the village have been identified for  acquisition for the project. As a majority of farmers own small land holdings, everyone is expecting a handsome amount.“I have 60 cents in Davojigudem which comes under the purview of Buddavaram Gram Panchayat. I earmarked 20 cents each for my two daughters as dowry during their marriages. I want to keep the remaining 20 cents for me. I refused to sell the land when a realtor offered Rs 1.5 crore. The airport expansion project hit my future plans.”“Now, no one is coming to buy our lands as they came to know that the government is going to acquire them. We will not accept the price offered by the government,” says Chiguluri Lakshmikumari of Davojigudem.About 1.5 acres of land adjacent to NH-5 in Davojigudem, which did not come under airport expansion project, was sold at Rs 8 crore per acre recently.The market value of land at Kesarapally is much higher as the village is closer to Vijayawada.“We are not against the airport expansion project. The government should pay a price equivalent to the market value for our lands,”  says Krishna Gandhi of Davojigudem.In all, 179 houses--93 in Davojigudem, 63 in Kesarapally and 23 in Ajjampudi--will be lost in airport expansion. Some people of SC community, who will be displaced by the expansion, are demanding a rehabilitation package. The villagers obstructed revenue officials twice when they entered the villages for acquisition of land.Gannavaram MLA Dasari Balavardhan Rao said revenue officials did not consider their views on the acquisition of land. “The airport expansion project should not be executed at the cost of farmers who own small land holdings,” says the MLA.On the need for additional land for airport development, airport director C Pattabhi said the land available with them is not sufficient for the extension of the runway. The runway needs to be extended from the present 7,500 feet to 10,000 feet to facilitate landing of big aircraft.