It appears the Andhra Pradesh high court is sympathetic towards the farmers of Amaravati, who have been agitating for retention of the capital city at Amaravati, instead of dividing it into three capitals.
For the second consecutive day, a division bench of the state high court comprising chief justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and justices M Satyanarayana Murthy and D V S S Somayajulu, heard the arguments on a batch of petitions filed by the Amaravati farmers and others.
The bench heard the arguments of Shyam Divan, senior counsel for Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi for the second day, explaining how the area was chosen as the capital city and how the farmers had sacrificed their fertile lands for the sake of a historic capital city.
He pleaded that the high court should do justice to the farmers, by ensuring that the capital remains at Amaravati so that they would get value for their plots, apart from getting annuity for their lands.
“The YSR Congress government has converted Amaravati into a virtual ghost city,” he said.
Intervening in the arguments, Justice Mishra made some serious comments on the government. He said nearly 30,000 farmers gave away their invaluable lands to the government hoping to see a world-class capital city.
“They have given their lands not because they would get any benefit from the government. They gave it for the purpose of the capital city, which is the city for the people of all districts – whether it is Visakhapatnam or Kurnool. You can’t call it a capital city for Amaravati farmers, but for the entire state,” he said.
He compared the Amaravati farmers with freedom fighters during the Independence Movement.
“Our freedom fighters had fought against the British not for their personal benefits, but for the entire country,” he pointed out.
The chief justice said he would listen to the government’s arguments and that of others after the completion of the counsels of Amaravati.
