VIJAYAWADA: Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister P. Narayana on Monday inaugurated the jungle clearance work in Amaravati, marking the revival of Andhra Pradesh’s capital city project after five years of stagnation.

This initiative, initiated by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, aims to remove thorn bushes and revitalise the region, which had been neglected by the previous YSRC government. He highlighted the cooperative spirit of the farmers who had pooled 34,000 acres of land for Amaravati in just 38 days between 2014 and 2019, trusting the Chief Minister’s vision.

He criticised the previous YSRC government for proposing three capitals namely Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Amaravati which led to resentment among the farmers. He thanked the resilient farmers who bore the challenges and extended their tenure for another five years.

The jungle clearing project, awarded to Nagarjuna Constructions Company Limited (NCC) for Rs 36.5 crore, aims to clear 23,429 acres of jungle land within 30 days. Narayana stressed that this is the first step towards the comprehensive development of Amaravati and will enable farmers to find their reusable plots.

He assured that the government was committed to compensate the landless poor by extending their pensions for another five years. He said the engineering experts from IIT Hyderabad and IIT Madras had inspected the stalled construction work and a preliminary report would be submitted soon which would guide the government in deciding on resumption of construction work. Tadikonda MP Tenali Sravan Kumar said the start of jungle clearance was an important milestone in Amaravati’s journey.