The Andhra Pradesh government has approved the transfer of 9.96 acres of government land in Nuzvid town and mandal of Eluru district to the Director of Horticulture and Sericulture Department for setting up the Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM). The government issued a decree in this regard on December 31, 2025.
Special Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad said in GO that the land is to be leased free for 33 years. The lease will include “usual conditions” under the State Land Policy (BSO-24) and other set rules.
Referring to the Eluru District Collector’s letter, Mr. Sai Prasad said that the Collector had originally proposed to allot the land on rent-paying basis. In a letter dated 23 August 2025, he recommended leasing the 9.96-acre plot to IIPM at the rate of 10% of ₹1.37 million per annum (approximately ₹3.7 million per annum), with a 10% rent increase every five years.
Meanwhile, the director of IIPM (based in Bengaluru) has written to the government on December 2, 2025 requesting to waive the rent. The letter appealed for the 9.96-acre plot to be allotted free of charge or otherwise at a token rent “as a special case in the public interest”. Citing this objection and the stated public interest, the government agreed to waive the rent entirely.
The government has set several conditions accompanying the allotment. The government has stipulated that the land must be used only for its intended purpose (teaching plantation management) and cannot be leased or transferred to another party without the express consent of the government.
Existing roads on the property are to remain intact and any environmentally sensitive features (such as water bodies) are to be preserved in their natural state. The regulation also requires IIPM to start using the site within three years; failure to do so, or any breach of the conditions, authorizes the District Collector to cancel the lease and restore the land.
The government also emphasized strict measures for water bodies: “they are not recommended for alienation” and no construction or development is allowed on or above them.
Published – 1 Jan 2026 19:12 IST
