Amaravati farmers move high court, seek stay on three capitals for Andhra

The gazette notifications, issued soon after Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan gave his assent to the bills, sought to abolish the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and form three separate capitals – the executive capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and a judicial capital.

With the Andhra Pradesh government passing orders de-notifying Amaravati as the capital region, farmers of the hitherto capital area on Monday moved the high court challenging the formation of three capital cities for the state.

Farmers from one of the 29 villages falling under the Amaravati capital region protesting against the shifting of the capital earlier this year.(HT PHOTO.)

Rajadhani Rythu Parirakshana Samithi (farmers’ committee to safeguard the state capital) filed a petition in the high court seeking a stay on the implementation of the gazette notifications issued by the state government on Friday.

The gazette notifications, issued soon after Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan gave his assent to the bills, sought to abolish the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and form three separate capitals – the executive capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and a judicial capital at Kurnool.

The petitioner challenged the notifications and requested that the high court stall the shifting of the Raj Bhawan, Chief Minister’s Office and state secretariat from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam and the high court to Kurnool.

The petitioner also questioned the legality of the reports of the expert committee led by retired IAS officer G N Rao and the high-powered committee comprising ministers and senior bureaucrats, based on whose recommendations the Andhra government took a decision on the three capitals. The high court posted the case for hearing on Tuesday.

Late on Saturday night, the state government issued orders abolishing APCRDA, thereby de-notifying Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. In place of APCRDA, the government order created the Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Authority (AMRDA).

All the areas within the jurisdiction of the hitherto capital region have now come under AMRDA. All the assets, liabilities, agreements and concessions, which were handled by the APCRDA, will now be vested with the new authority.

According to the order, the AMRDA would be headed by a chairperson and comprise 11 members with secretary of the municipal administration and urban development department as the deputy chairperson and commissioner as the member-convenor.

The authority would also include experts of national or international repute who possess knowledge in urban governance, urban planning, conservation, environment and transportation as members, the order said.