Vijayawada: Though the state government has expedited the Pattiseema project, it is facing challenges from court cases in land acquisition.

According to officials, 19 villages in Krishna district and two in West Godavari district, approached courts against the project works and got stay orders.

According to orders, the government is not to take up works in their lands until further directions. Now, this has become a big hurdle for the implementation of the project. The government had completed most of the Polavaram right canal digging works in the limits of Krishna and West Godavari districts. But the works were stopped in the limits of 19 villages in Bapulapadu, Gannavaram, Agiripalli and Nuzvid mandals in Krishna district.

The government had proposed land acquisition of 3,545 acres in Krishna district, but landowners of 1,222 acres approached the courts. Similarly, the farmers of Kavvagunta and Pedavegi villages of West Godavari district have also challenged the land acquisition process in courts.

Special deputy collector G.V.S.S. Naga Lakshmi said, given this backdrop, officials are making arrangements to offer higher compensation to farmers under the new Land Acquisition Act to withdrawing the cases. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Ms Lakshmi said that they would meet the landowners by March to request withdrawal of the cases and explain the benefits under the new compensation offer.

She said that as per the new plans, the government would pay compensation to farmers of up to Rs 25 lakh per acre in Nuzvid. However, earlier, the farmers could get only Rs 2 lakh as compensation.