The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority is moving the second phase of Amaravati’s Land Pooling Scheme from paperwork to ground truth. Officials have begun enjoyment surveys in Vaddamanu, Karlapudi, and Endrayi villages — a process that determines actual possession and use of land being pooled. For farmers who have waited through years of political uncertainty, the survey signals that LPS 2.0 is no longer theoretical. Lease benefits under the scheme will begin from May 2026, an authority official confirmed.
An APCRDA official who inspected the survey sites noted that farmers expressed satisfaction over government assurances — specifically annual lease payments, loan waivers, and yearly lease hikes. These are not minor concessions. In earlier phases, delayed payments and unclear escalation clauses eroded trust. The explicit commitment to annual hikes suggests a recognition that land pooling must compete with agricultural income foregone. For a farmer giving up cultivable land, a static lease amount is a depreciating asset. An escalating one is a negotiation. Urban land economists point out that Amaravati’s LPS model is unusual among Indian capital city projects. Instead of compulsory acquisition with one-time compensation, it offers developed plots in return plus annual lease payments during the development period. The model reduces upfront government expenditure but requires sustained administrative credibility. The shift of the weekly Grievance Day from Saturday to Monday — now held every Monday at the APCRDA headquarters in Rayapudi — is a small but telling adjustment. It signals that citizen feedback is being institutionalised, not just tokenised.
The survey teams include senior officials from land, survey, and revenue departments. A separate leadership change saw a new Additional Commissioner assume charge at the Rayapudi headquarters. For residents of Vaddamanu, Karlapudi, and Endrayi, the immediate question is accuracy of measurement. For the authority, the question is whether surveys can be completed before monsoon disrupts fieldwork. What makes LPS 2.0 distinct from the first phase is scale and sequencing. The second phase is being rolled out alongside trunk infrastructure completion in phase one areas. A senior infrastructure analyst noted that simultaneous execution — pooling new land while developing already-pooled land — is operationally demanding but politically necessary. Farmers in phase two villages watch what happens to phase one farmers. If returnable layouts are delivered and lease payments are timely, trust compounds. If not, surveys become confrontations.
The May 2026 lease start date gives the authority roughly twelve months to complete surveys, registrations, and payment systems. For Amaravati’s expansion, the next year will determine whether LPS 2.0 becomes a replicable model or a cautionary tale.
APCRDA Pushes Second Phase Land Pooling In Amaravati
