Hyderabad, Aug 22 (UNI) In a major policy decision, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided not to make any 'large scale' acquisition of land for private industries henceforth, Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao said today.

''Land owners are free to negotiate with the private parties and sell their lands only if they are satisfied with the price offered.

The government will not invoke the provisions of Land Acquisition Act for the benefit of private parties,'' he told a press conference here.

Alleging that the opposition parties were doing a 'disservice' to the people by opposing the Coastal Corridor project, which would result in a massive investment of Rs 3,43,000 crore and creation of 12 lakh jobs, Mr Rao said there was no need for acquiring land for these projects, including the Petroleum Chemical and Petro-Chemical Investment Region (PCPIR) with an investment of Rs 1,75,800 crore.

Fishermen, who would be provided accessibility to the sea, besides cold storage facilities should realise that value for their land would increase as and when the projects would be completed, he added.

The coastal highway was very much essential for the overall development of the region, he pointed out.

UNI SM MDG MIR ND2002