Andhra HC seeks status report on capital works

Petitioners say basic facilities not developed in Amaravati

The Andhra Pradesh High Court yesterday directed the state government to submit a status report on the progress of construction works in Amaravati.

Hearing a batch of writ petitions and a couple of contempt petitions filed by some Amaravati farmers against the state government, the high court asked the government to file the report on the progress of the works.

Master plan

The counsel for petitioners told the court that the government is not implementing March 3 orders of the court to complete implementation of Amaravati capital city master plan in six months.

The petitioners said even months after the court order, facilities such as electricity, drainage, roads and drinking water for the developed plots given to farmers under the Land Pooling Scheme in the capital area were not developed.

“The orders to complete town planning schemes under Sec 61 of the CRDA Act were wilfully not implemented, which is nothing but contempt of court.”

Senior counsel Rajender Prasad said the petitioners also brought to the court’s notice statements made by some ministers and alleged that the government has no intention of obeying the court orders.

The three-judge bench, however, made it clear that the court will not go by the statements made in the media and will take into account what the government does or tells the court.

While adjourning the case to July 12, the court asked the government to file a status report on the works in the form of an affidavit.

A bench of three judges headed by Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had pronounced the judgement on March 3 on 75 petitions filed by Amaravati farmers and others challenging the government’s move for trifurcation of state capital.