Andhra Pradesh: Protesting Amaravati Farmers Rally For 500 Kms, Reach Tirupati

The padayatra proceeded for about 500 kilometres across the AP districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, and Chittoor

New Delhi: Amaravati farmers 'Maha Padayatra' (rally) which they have named 'Nyayasthanam (high court) to Devastham (Tirumala temple), demanding that Amaravati be retained as the only state capital of Andhra Pradesh reached Tirupati.

The farmers' rally began on November 1 in Tulluru, Guntur district, and will end on December 17 in Tirupati. A large public assembly will conduct on the final day of the journey. 

The padayatra proceeded for about 500 kilometres across the AP districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, and Chittoor. Farmers will continue the rally on Tuesday in Tirupati and end it in Alipiri in the evening, as it is the 45th day of the padayatra.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam permitted the Amaravati farmers to have darshans on Wednesday and Thursday. The TTD, on the other hand, has instructed farmers to follow the Covid regulations and has taken the appropriate information from them.

Despite the government of Andhra Pradesh's plans to introduce new and comprehensive legislation to develop three state capitals, farmers and landowners in Amaravati are steadfast in their demand for Amaravati to be the only state capital. On November 22 morning, when the state government withdrew the three capital bills, the events raised hope among the protesting farmers.

Later, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's declaration that the bills would be reintroduced in a revised form did not surprise them.

Farmers and landowners from 29 villages in the Amaravati region, who donated 33,000 acres of land to create the state capital, have been demonstrating for over 700 days and are vowing to stage protests till the government declares Amaravati as the only capital of the state.

Farmers counting on the former Chandrababu Naidu government's significant pledges to create Amaravati on the banks of the Krishna River as the dream capital and a world-class city were taken aback by the three-capital idea. Farmers and landowners who gave up half-acre to 50-acre plots of land were left in the lurch.

They were offered 1,000 square yards of residential plot and 250 square yards of the business plot with complete facilities for every acre of cultivable land. With the change of government, almost all of the farmers obtained their allotment papers, but their hopes of owning developed plots remained on paper.