Guntur: Farmers from Mandadam village in Amaravati capital region lodged a complaint with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank, alleging threats and coercion by Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) on Friday. They said they are being pressured to vacate their agricultural lands even though they did not join the Land Pooling Scheme. The farmers said that APCRDA officials forcibly removed fencing from their fields and claimed the land was allotted to a private hotel developer.

When they tried to file a complaint at Thullur police station, they were discouraged and told to hand over their land for pooling instead. They recalled that since 2014, farmers opposing land pooling have faced crop destruction, fires and other acts of intimidation. The recent incidents in September 2025 show that coercion against non-LPS farmers is continuing, causing insecurity and livelihood loss. In their complaint, the farmers said that APCRDA’s actions violate ADB and World Bank safeguard policies, which prohibit intimidation, forced displacement and coercion. They urged the institutions to intervene immediately, investigate the harassment, and ensure protection for non-LPS farmers before continuing any project support.