Governor rejects Naidu's land acquisition ordinance

The governor of Andhra Pradesh ESL Narasimhan has refused to promulgate an ordinance by the Nara Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam government.

Naidu wants to enact the AP Assigned Lands (prohibition of transfer) Ordinance 2018 before the Lok Sabha polls so that he can regularise the landholdings in and around Amaravati the new state capital and elsewhere in Vijayawada, as it will politically benefit the Telugu Desam leaders who will be purchasing the lands.

The TDP leadership sees the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind the governor rejecting the ordinance. Member of Parliament CM Ramesh told this correspondent that the governor was acting like the “Centre's agent”.

Governor Narasimhan is of the opinion that certain clauses in the ordinance will not stand judicial scrutiny as they are unconstitutional.

The Assigned Lands (prohibition of transfer) Amendment Ordinance 2018 proposes to substitute the word ‘lands assigned’ with the words ‘lands or house sites  assigned’, and the word ‘landless poor persons’ with ‘landless or homeless poor persons’. 

Thus, the government wants to extend the provisions of this act to house sites also. 

In the present ordinance proposed by the state government, it is provided that the house sites assigned are not alienable for a period of five years. 

However, the governor’s office has rejected certain clauses in the ordinance, and put its approval on hold. 

The issue has been discussed with senior Andhra officials of the concerned department and the state government has been directed to re-look into the time frame of five years to alienate the said assigned house sites. The response of Chief Minister Naidu for the same is awaited. 

There has been a tug of war between the governor and Naidu for the past two years, with the chief minister even requesting the Centre to withdraw him.