Sharmila accuses 'realty mafia' in Amaravati

YS Sharmila Reddy, the leader of the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh, has accused the state government of being influenced by a 'real estate mafia' in the planning of Amaravati, the new capital city.

She says that farmers who gave their land for the project deserve more transparency.

Sharmila pointed out that 29,000 farmers gave up 34,000 acres of land, and together with government land, a total of 54,000 acres were pooled for the project.

However, she claims that after 11 years, there is no meaningful progress, and the land is not being used properly.

She opposes the government's plan to acquire more land, saying it's not needed and that the current land should be developed first.

She also questioned the large amounts of land proposed for an airport and a sports city, saying it's too much.

Sharmila demanded a detailed report (White Paper) on how the land is being used and who is benefiting from it.

She also wants a meeting with all political parties to discuss the issue and protection for farmers through tax exemptions.