YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s ambitious plan of constructing houses for weaker sections in the controversial residential zone (R-5 zone) of Amaravati has received yet another setback.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Deepankar Dutta rejected the Jagan government’s petition to take up urgent hearing on the special leave petition filed by it challenging the high court order which stalled the construction of houses.
The bench deferred the hearing on the SLP to April, when it would also hear the petitions on Amaravati capital issue. It would mean there will be a status quo on the housing programme, as is the case with three capitals’ plan.
Senior counsel for the Andhra Pradesh government Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the government was seeking an emergency stay on the high court order, as it was constructing houses which were sanctioned by the Central government.
“The plots were already distributed among the beneficiaries as per the earlier directions of the Supreme Court and the government has taken up construction of houses in these plots,” he said.
The judges said they had full knowledge of what is going on in Amaravati and said there was no hurry in the construction of houses.
On September 1, the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on the interim orders issued by Andhra Pradesh high court on August 3, which stalled the construction of houses for economically weaker sections in the residential zone (R-5 zone) of Amaravati.
On July 24, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy laid foundation stone for the construction of a massive housing colony of 50,793 houses for the poor at Krishanayapalem village in the core area of Amaravati at a cost of Rs Rs 1829.57 crore, including Rs 384.42 crore on creating infrastructure facilities like roads, electricity and drinking water.
Earlier on May 26, Jagan distributed house site pattas to the beneficiaries from Guntur and NTR districts. The house sites were spread over 25 layouts in nine villages of Amaravati in the R-5 zone, which was created by amending the master plan of Amaravati in March this year.
This zone was previously earmarked for industries, businesses and other commercial purposes in the master plan for the Amaravati capital area.
The Amaravati farmers opposed the change in the master plan and moved the high court on the ground that it would change the status of the capital region and affect their interests.
