Andhra Pradesh HC Refuses To Stay Allotment Of Housing Sites To Non-Locals In Amaravati

Farmers of Amaravati have challenged the CM Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government's decision to assign housing sites to non-locals in the area surrounding the capital.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday refused to pass an interim order on a petition filed by farmers of Amaravati challenging the state government's decision to assign housing sites to non-locals in the area surrounding the capital, IANS reported.
 
The High Court declined to stay the allocation process but said the allotment of housing sites would be subject to final judgment in the case. To construct homes for the needy on 900 acres of land in Amaravati, the state government established a new zone called R-5 in March.

The move has angered the farmers, who are already protesting the state government's decision to develop three state capitals. The Amaravati Farmers' Joint Action Committee (JAC) said the decision was taken without consulting the farmers. They challenged it in the High Court on the ground that this would change the status of the capital region and affect their interests, the IANS report said.
 
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari, however, refused to give any interim directions on the petition.
 
The farmers challenged the allotment house sites in violation of the master plan. They argued that locals should be allotted the sites after the development of the region.
 
The government defended its action. It argued that farmers can demand lands assured to them by the government but it has the right to allot land to anybody. The court was told that the government has decided to allot land to the poor.

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It was in October last year that the government amended the Amaravati master plan to provide houses to poor people over 900 acres of land spread across four villages.The farmers had challenged the amendment in court, and, on the direction of the court, authorities had organised a meeting in the villages. Farmers opposed the order.
 
However, ignoring the objections of farmers, the government went ahead and issued a gazette in March.
 
Earlier efforts by the government to allot lands proved futile, as pro-Amaravati farmers had filed a petition, and the High Court cancelled the order. Following this, the YSRC government amended the APCRDA Act to provide house sites.
 
The new zone R-5 in the capital region will be within the boundaries of Krishnayapalem, Nidamarru, and Kuragallu in Mangalagiri mandal, and Manddam and Ainavolu villages in Thullur mandal.