While welcoming the decision of the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government to decentralize the governance, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), an organization which has been closely working with the farmers of Amaravati, said that the approach of the government was not "adequately democratic, prudent and transparent."
NAPM said that the Andhra Pradesh government has a historic opportunity to correct the mistakes of the Chandrababu Naidu government which allegedly circumvented the provisions of the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and disregarded the report of Shivarama Krishna Commission in 2014.
NAPM leaders P Chennaiah and Meera Sanghamitra visited the villages in Amaravati, which were on a boil after the government’s latest decision to shift the capital to Visakhapatnam. Farmers from 29 villages who had pledged their land for capital development in Amaravati, had launched an indefinite struggle against the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. However, NAPM said that the current crisis is due to the past government’s “short-sightedness” and “extra-legal” approach.
Criticizing the present government for their opaqueness, NAPM said that the reports by Boston Consulting Group, GN Rao Committee Report and the Report of the High Powered Expert Group have not been placed in the public domain. They also slammed the government for not having a democratic dialogue with the agitating farmers.
Speaking about the capital construction in Visakhapatnam, “The state government must thoughtfully utilize the developed land and existing infrastructure so that there is no further burden on the state exchequer.”
NAPM also condemned the police excess against the protesting farmers.
“The State government has an obligation to find an amicable and just solution to this issue, while also ensuring fair treatment to those who have suffered because of the deeds of the earlier government. In doing so, the concerns of the small, marginal and tenant farmers, landless labourers, Dalits and women must be given priority,” they said.