Even as the Andhra Pradesh government is hurrying to take over land from farmers for the capital city, the ryots are preparing for a battle in court.
The farmers of riverbank villages have reportedly consulted legal luminaries to fight against the land pooling scheme and are planning to file cases either in the Hyderabad high court or the Supreme Court soon after the AP assembly clears the Capital Region Development Auth ority (CRDA) bill.
According to sources, renowned advocate Prashant Bhushan has expressed his willingness to take up the farmers' case if the government tries to take over their green fields.
Sources said the farmers' representatives visited New Delhi recently and briefed him on the entire issue.
Bhushan reportedly questioned the need for the government to acquire as much as 30,000 acres, including highly fertile land, to build a capital city.
“We are consulting many top advocates in the country to fight our case as we are worried about our future,“ said Rayapudi farmers' leader Mallela Harindranath Chowdary.
Not only ryots in the riverbank villages but also those in upland areas are anxious due to lack of clarity on land pooling, he said, adding that they are not against the construction of the capital but want it to be done in a transparent manner.
He demanded that the government share the blueprint of the capital and reveal why it needs so much land.
Explaining that farmers have already approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), advocate and farmers' leader Seshagiri Rao said they would challenge the CRDA bill as it has many clauses that violate the Constitution.
Source: TimesOfIndia
