From Our Correspondent
The Andhra Pradesh Government has approved the launch of the second phase of land pooling for the Amaravati capital city, authorising the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to begin pooling 16,666.57 acres across seven villages in Palnadu and Guntur districts.
The G.O., issued by the Municipal Administration & Urban Development Department, follows the recommendations of the Group of Ministers meeting held on 27 November 2025. The approved extent includes 16,562.56 acres of patta land, 104.01 acres of assigned land, and 3,828.30 acres of government land across Vykuntapuram, Pedamadduru, Endroy, Karlapudi Lemalle, Vaddamanu, Harichandrapuram, and Pedaparimi.
The Commissioner of APCRDA has been authorised to initiate the process immediately.
Why the Second Phase Matters
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been pushing for a second phase of land pooling to restore the full-scale Amaravati vision that was stalled over the last five years. His government argues that Amaravati’s earlier master plan—designed to host the Legislature, Secretariat, High Court complex, riverfront boulevards, and institutional clusters—requires additional contiguous land to implement the full urban grid.
The second-phase villages, particularly those in Thulluru and Amaravathi mandals, plug key gaps in the original layout and allow the revival of trunk infrastructure such as arterial roads, utility corridors, and green network systems.
Airport and New Infrastructure Push
A major driver behind Naidu’s renewed push is the plan to build a new international airport for Amaravati. With the current Vijayawada airport at Gannavaram constrained by land and expansion limits, the government wants a dedicated facility for the capital region—one that can anchor future investments, government mobility, and diplomatic connectivity. The identified land blocks around Amaravathi–Vaddamanu belt are crucial for aviation-linked infrastructure, logistics parks, and high-speed access corridors.
Beyond the airport, the government is also looking at restoring key public buildings, universities, and commercial zones originally planned between Seed Access Road, Uddandarayunipalem, and the Krishna riverfront. Second-phase pooling gives the administration the flexibility to reconfigure land for these uses without fragmenting the layout.
Background to the Land Pooling Restart
The first phase of land pooling (2014–2016) brought over 33,000 acres voluntarily from farmers, becoming a model for participatory capital development. After returning to power in 2024, Naidu revived the Amaravati capital plan, re-notified Land Pooling Scheme Rules in July 2025, and initiated steps to integrate adjacent habitations into the capital footprint.
The latest order operationalises this expansion, allowing APCRDA to begin farmer consultations, issue pooling notifications, and finalise returnable plots under the 2025 rules.