PNS | Vijayawada
In a setback to the ruling YSRCP government led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued interim orders to halt the construction of houses by the State government for the poor in the Amaravati Capital region. A three-judge bench comprising Justice DVSS Somayajulu, Justice Manavendranath Roy, and Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari pronounced the order on petitions challenging the construction of houses in an area meant for the development of the State capital.
The court, in its interim order, directed the government to suspend the construction of houses in the R-5 zone. Farmers of the capital region and others challenged the Government Order creating an R-5 Zone for the construction of houses for ‘outsiders’.
Despite protests from farmers, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for the construction of 50,793 houses for the poor in the CRDA region on July 24.
Jagan stated that the government is allocating Rs 1829.57 crore for this project, out of which Rs 1,371.41 crore will be used for the construction of houses, and Rs 384.42 crore will be dedicated to infrastructure facilities such as roads, electricity, and drinking water.
In March, the State government declared a new zone R-5 in Amaravati to provide houses to underprivileged individuals over 900 acres of land. This land was initially earmarked for industries, businesses, and other commercial purposes in the master plan for the Amaravati capital area. The move faced opposition from Amaravati farmers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC), which filed a challenge in the High Court, arguing that it would change the status of the capital region and adversely affect their interests.
On May 5, the High Court declined to issue interim orders on a petition challenging the government’s move. Subsequently, the Supreme Court also refused to grant a stay on the High Court’s decision. However, the apex court ruled that the rights of the beneficiaries of house sites would be subject to the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s final judgment.
The Chief Minister officially launched the distribution of house site pattas on May 26 to the poor, commencing the programme in the R-5 zone spread over Guntur and NTR districts. On July 11, the Andhra Pradesh High Court referred the case relating to the allotment of house sites in the R-5 zone to a three-member bench.
