Tirupati (Dec 14) : .The massive foot march of farmers and women from Amaravati calling for the preservation of Tirupati as Andhra Pradesh’s only capital was concluded Tuesday in Tirupati.The ‘Mahapadyatra” covered 450km in just 44 days.It ended at Alipiri (the foothills Sri Venkateswara’s temple).
Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi leaders and Amaravati Joint Action Committee participants, broke 108 coconuts to pray for the success of their protest against the trifurcation state capital.
Later, the participants left to pray at the hill shrine.
The ‘court-to-temple’ titled ‘Mahapadyatra,’ the journey began at Amaravati’s Andhra Pradesh High Court on November 1.To reach Tirupati, it passed through several villages and towns in Guntur and Prakasam districts, Nellore and Chittoor.
The protests have been going on for 700 days by farmers from 29 Amaravati villages, who gave 33,000 acres to the development of Amaravati’s capital, when the Telugu Desam Party was at power.Their agitation reached a new stage with the foot march.
The leaders of JAC claimed they were able to complete the walkathon despite all the obstacles created by police officers at different locations at the request of the ruling YSR Congress Party.The leaders of the JAC stated that the ‘Mahapadyatra was just the beginning of their movement and that they would continue to push for Amaravati to be the sole capital until the YSRCP government makes this decision.
The movement saw some important developments during the foot march.The government retook the state capital laws that were passed by the High Court to address a series of petitions against the government’s plan for the trifurcation state capital.
Protestors in Amaravati had high hopes for the development, but Chief Minister Y.S.Jagan Mohanreddy, the Assembly’s Chief Minister, announced that the government would bring comprehensive legislation.The government was committed to maintaining three capitals, he stated.
The Assembly passed Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Repeal Bill 2021, repealing the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Act 2020 and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region development Authority Repeal Act 2020 Act.
Leaders of Amaravati movement and opposition parties claimed the government feared that the two legislations may be struck down by the High Court, which was hearing more than 50 petitions challenging them.
The petitioners had challenged the laws on ground being technically flawed as they were not passed by the Legislative Council, the upper house of the state legislature.
For nearly two years, the farmers, women and other sections of people in Amaravati have been continuing their protest.
They say Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government’s move to dump Amaravati as the only capital and develop Visakhapatnam and Kurnool as administrative and judicial capitals, respectively, dashed their hopes of a bright future after giving away 33,000 acres of land.The move caused distress to 4,000 farmer families.
The three-capital proposal came as a bolt from the blue for the farmers relying on the mega plans of then Chandrababu Naidu government to build Amaravati on the banks of Krishna river as the dream capital and a world-class city, whose design was prepared by the Singapore government.
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