Hyderabad, Dec. 17 -- The second phase of acquiring over 16,000 acres of land under land pooling system for the expansion of Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh is posing a tough challenge for the state government, people familiar with the matter said. On November 28, the state cabinet approved acquisition of over 16,666.57 acres in seven villages under land pooling system for key capital infrastructure, including the proposed railway station, sports city, airport, smart city, and the inner ring road. Accordingly, the state government issued a notification on December 2, seeking to undertake land pooling in Vaikunthapuram (3,361 acres); Pedamadduru (1,145 acres); Endroyi (2,166 acres); Karlapudi (2,944 acres); Vaddamanu (1,913) acres; Harishchandrapuram (2,418 acres); and Pedaparimi (6,513) acres. When combined with assigned government lands, the total extent intended for acquisition in the second phase adds up to 20,494 acres. In the first phase of land pooling in 2015-16, the Naidu government acquired 34,000 acres under the land pooling system. Now with the proposed acquisition of another 16,666 acres, the total land contributed by farmers for the capital city would be an estimated 50,000 acres. State municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana said the land pooling will be carried out only with the consent of farmers. "We shall extend same benefits that were extended to farmers during the previous phase of land pooling," he said. However, a senior official familiar with the development said the second phase of land pooling is easier said than done, as several farmers in these seven villages are raising a lot of queries and putting forth major demands. "Though majority of the farmers in these villages have no objection to giving their land for the second phase of Amaravati, they are a little apprehensive about the project, in the wake of the practical issues still being faced by the farmers in the first phase, even after 10 years," he said. For the last two weeks, a three-member committee comprising municipal administration minister P Narayana, Guntur MP and Union minister of state for rural development Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Tadikonda MLA Shravan Kumar have been holding a series of meetings with the farmers of affected villages in the second phase of land pooling. "The farmers are putting forth two major sets of demands; enhanced annual lease amounts and clearer guarantees on social infrastructure including education and healthcare," the official quoted above said. A farmer from Vaddamanu village said they were asking for increased annuity payment than what was offered during the first phase of land pooling....