Protests were organised with the title ‘Rajdhani Ranabheri’ in Mandadam, Thulluru, Velagapudi, Dondapadu and other villages of Amaravati.
Farmers, women, leaders of political parties and people’s organisations participated in the protests, with the women beating drums and utensils and farmers with ploughs, bulls, buffaloes and sheep.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) staged a protest at Guntur in solidarity with the people of Amaravati. Former minister Nakka Anandbabu and Member of Legislative Council Ramakrishna participated in the protest.
Anandbabu said the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was showing no concern for the people of Amaravati by going ahead with its three capital plans. He alleged that the government had thrown the Constitution to the winds.
Protests intensified in 29 villages of Amaravati on July 31 when Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan gave his assent to The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Bill, 2020 and The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020.
The approval of the Bills paved the way for shifting key capital functions from Amaravati.
The government plans to develop Visakhapatnam as the executive capital. With the shifting of the offices of the Chief Minister, Governor, ministers and secretaries to the coastal city, it will become the seat of power. The government has decided to develop Kurnool as the judicial capital by shifting the High Court there.
Amaravati, which was originally planned as the only state capital and a world-class city, will serve as a mere legislative capital.
Dealing with the petitions filed by farmers of Amaravati and others challenging the two Bills, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered the status quo till August 27.
The protests in Amaravati started in December last year when Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced in the Assembly that his government will develop three capitals to ensure decentralisation of power and equal development of all three regions of the state.
The move triggered distress among 24,000 farmer families who had given 33,000 acres of land under the land pooling scheme.
The then TDP government headed by Chandrababu Naidu had embarked on mega plans to build Amaravati on the banks of Krishna river as the dream capital and a world-class city.
For every acre of cultivable land pooled, the farmers were promised 1,000 square yards of residential plots and 250 square yards of commercial plots with all the infrastructure.
Almost all the farmers received the allotment papers. They were also promised Rs 50,000 annuity per acre with annual hike of 10 per cent.
However, all the construction activity, which was at its peak before elections last year, came to a grinding halt with the change of guard. The new government also terminated all agreements including those with the Singapore companies.
