Fate of Andhra's capital to be decided today: NGT to announce verdict on Amaravati

The NGT had finished hearing all parties in the case in April this year and reserved its judgement.
Fate of Andhra's capital to be decided today: NGT to announce verdict on Amaravati
Fate of Andhra's capital to be decided today: NGT to announce verdict on Amaravati
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In an important decision, the National Green Tribunal will deliver its final verdict on Friday, regarding the location of Andhra Pradesh's upcoming capital city Amaravati. 

The NGT is expected to pronounce the judgement at 11:15 am.

The case was originally filed by retired journalist and social activist Pandalaneni Srimannarayana from Vijayawada, in 2015.

The case gathered momentum as retired bureaucrat EAS Sarma filed another petition, challenging the hurried grant of environmental clearances by the state-level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA), the Times of India reported.

A group of farmers had also approached the NGT, challenging the pooling of fertile land.

The ToI report adds that the state government denied any violation of green laws and said that it was taking all measures to protect greenery in and around the capital region, overseen by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).

The NGT had finished hearing all parties in the case in April this year and reserved its judgement.              

It had also expressed its doubts, over the state's plans to elevate the 10,000-acre capital city on the banks of the River Krishna, to protect it from getting flooded.

In February 2015, Srimannarayana approached the Supreme Court and was directed to go to the NGT, where he filed a petition claiming that the areas under the capital were classified in Seismic Zone III and prone to earthquakes. He also claimed that fertile land would be destroyed by urbanization.

"I'm not saying we do not need a capital. Andhra needs a capital, and deserves a good one. However, this particular plan is more like a real estate business deal at the cost of farmers. The area by the River Krishna is one of the most fertile lands in India as well as in the world. Up to 120 varieties of crop can be grown here and it gives three yields a year," Srimannarayana had told TNM during an earlier interview.

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