Owners likely to have a pie in developed land

Andhra mulls package for land losers

The Andhra Pradesh government is considering a proposal to return to the owners part of the lands being acquired from them for various infrastructure projects, including the proposed Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR), after development.

Addressing the Independence Day celebrations here on Tuesday, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said land acquisition for projects that would have a bearing on the overall development of the state was inevitable.

Referring to the recent protests from various quarters against the ongoing land acquisition undertaken by government agencies in various parts of the state, he said the government was sensitive to the concerns of the land losers.

"To compensate the loss to those who have to forego their lands for the projects, my government is considering a proposal to return part of their lands after the development so that they will also benefit from the projects," Reddy said.

Stressing the need for facilitating industrial development across the state, the chief minister outlined various initiatives in the pipeline, including special economic zones at several places, textile complexes in Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar and Guntur districts, and a footwear complex in Nellore district.

Reddy said the government was planning to establish a gas grid in the state to promote industrial development by effectively utilising natural gas resources in the K-G basin.

"The government has already proved its intentions to strengthen public sector enterprises by turning them around through various measures," he said.

Speaking on the software sector, the chief minister said the government was aiming at achieving a high employment growth in the IT sector by ensuring that software exports from the state would touch Rs 69,000 crore by 2009.