The gazette notification said that the draft notification issued earlier was approved by the Executive Committee of the APCRDA.
Amaravati capital city design by previous TDP government. (Supplied)
Fresh trouble seems to be brewing for the YSRCP government over Amaravati after it issued a gazette notification amending the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA)’s master plan.
The Amaravati farmers have been opposing the government’s move to create a new R5 (Affordable/EWS Housing) zone in the capital region.
Zoning Regulation 5 is to allot land and affordable houses to the poor by amending the APCRDA master plan. The government issued the final gazette on Tuesday, 21 March, even as a petition against it is before the state high court.
Amaravati farmers are apprehensive that the new zone will change the capital region’s status, besides going against their interests.
“It’s nothing but contempt of the court,” Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Convenor A Siva Reddy told South First.
“This government has scant regard for the judiciary. How can the government deviate from the very purpose for which the farmers had given away their lands? Destruction is this government’s sole agenda,” he alleged.
Tuesday’s notification amending the master plan said that the draft notification issued earlier was approved by the Executive Committee of the APCRDA on 17 March, by passing a resolution, No 189/2023.
The government has proposed to change different zones spread over 900.97 acres — U1 (reserved zone), C5 (regional centre zone), 13 (non-polluting industry zone), C4 (town centre zone), S2 (educational zone) I1 (business-park zone) and C3 (neighbourhood centre zone) — to R5 (affordable/EWS housing zone).
The new R5 zone will be spread across Krishnayapalem, Nidamarru, Kuragallu in Mangalagiri mandal, and Manddam and Ainavolu villages in Thullur mandal.
The Amaravati farmers moved the high court after the government issued a notification to amend the master plan to create the R5 zone in October last.
The farmers contended that the opinions of the village committees and local bodies should be sought before making any amendments to the master plan as per Section-41 of the APCRDA Act.
The high court directed the government that a decision could be made after seeking the Amaravati farmers’ consent by holding grama sabhas.
Accordingly, the revenue officials conducted the grama sabhas, and the villagers voiced their strong opposition to the government’s move.
Following the high court’s direction, the government issued a draft notification and invited objections from the public. The APCRDA received as many as 5,844 objections and suggestions.
Incidentally, Mandadam, Lingayapalem, Rayapudi, Uddandarayunipalem, Nelapadu, Thullur, Dondapadu, Abbarajupalem, Ainavolu, Venkatapalem, Malkapuram, Velagapudi, Kuragallu, Sakhamuru, Ananthavaram, Borupalem, Nekallu and Neerukonda panchayats unanimously passed resolutions against the move to create a new zone. These resolutions were forwarded to the APCRDA.
“We are again moving the high court against the new notification,” Siva Reddy added.
According to the APCRDA master plan, the Amaravati capital region has four types of residential zones, R1 (existing villages), R2 (low-density housing), R3 (low to medium-density housing) and R4 (high-density zone).
The fresh notification has now added one more zone (R5) to the master plan.
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