Land acquisition for the Science City project in the mandals of Obulacheruvu and Amadaguru in Anantapur district is snowballing into a major controversy in the wake of the Science City Consortium adopting a divide and rule policy on the issue of paying compensation to the affected farmers. The Science City Consortium is acquiring 65,000 acres of land in the two mandals. The promoters of the project initially gave the impression that they would adopt a uniform policy with regard to payment of compensation . The latest proposal to pay different prices for different lands based on their location and importance is being vehemently opposed by the farmers. The farmers see in the proposal a conspiracy to acquire their lands at a throwaway prices, going by their declaration that 99 per cent of the land being acquired is a dry land. The farmers maintain that most of their lands have fruit plantations and are wet lands being irrigated through various sources. As per the 1894 Land Acquisition Act, lands cannot be acquired for any project unless 70 per cent of the farmers volunteered to give up their lands. The farmers pointed out that the government had stated that farm lands will not be acquired for establishment of Special Economic Zones. Farmers threatened that an agitation would be launched on the issue.