Amaravati, Sep 7: Farmers of Amaravati are gearing up to launch a second ‘Maha Padyatra’ to demand implementation of the Andhra Pradesh High Court orders for development of Amaravati as the state capital.Alleging that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was taking no action to implement the court orders, the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi (APS) decided to take out Maha Padyatra from Amaravati on September 12.
The Padyatra with the slogan ‘Build Amaravati Save Andhra Pradesh’ will conclude at Arasavalli in Srikakulam district on November 11 after passing through 16 districts. It is aimed at mounting pressure on the government to complete the constructions and infrastructure creation in Amaravati as ordered by the High Court on March 3 this year.As the request of APS to the police to grant permission for the long march has not evoked any response, it has approached the High Court seeking direction to the Director General of Police and Superintendents of Police of 16 districts to give clearance.
The High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on the petition to September 8. The state government sought two days to file a counter on the petition following which the court adjourned the hearing. APS Secretary Gadde Tirupati Rao contended that the inaction of the police in not giving permission for the Maha Padyatra was in violation of Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. He submitted to the court that the permission for the long march had been applied under Section 30 (2) of the Police Act, 1861, but there had been no response so far.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of various farmers’ bodies met at Thallur on Tuesday to discuss ways to ensure successful conduct of the Padyatra. Farmers’ leaders said their fight would continue to get justice for thousands of farmers who gave their lands for development of Amaravati but they were betrayed with the decision to develop three state capitals.
JAC convenor Shiva Reddy said during the long march they would educate people on how development of Amaravati was important for the state’s development. The meeting formed different committees, giving them various responsibilities with regard to Padyatra.
Last year, the farmers undertook a 45-day long Padyatra from Amaravati to Tirupati. Police had imposed various restrictions during the march titled Nyayasthanam (High Court) to Devasthanam (Tirumala temple). APS said they decided to undertake another Padyatra as the state government had not changed its mind even after the High Court had ruled that the state has no legislative competence to split, bifurcate, or trifurcate the state capital. The court had ruled that Amaravati should be developed as the capital city and it laid specific timelines for the same.
A bench of three judges had pronounced the judgment on March 3 on 75 petitions filed by Amaravati farmers and others challenging the government’s move for trifurcation of the state capital. After coming to power in 2019, the YSRCP had reversed the decision of the previous TDP government to develop Amaravati as the only state capital. It decided to develop three state capitals – Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool. This had triggered massive protest from farmers of Amaravati, who had given 33,000 acres of land for the capital and were hoping to reap its economic benefits. The farmers, women and others have been protesting for the last three years.
