Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Justice Prasanth Kumar Mishra has said that the capital belongs to the people of the State and is not just an issue for land owners of the Amaravati region.
The remarks came at the end of the hearing on the Amaravati capital issue on Tuesday when senior advocate Syam Divan, arguing for the petitioners, said that “we have given land to the capital and therefore it is our capital.”
Responding to it, the Chief Justice said, “It can’t be so.”
On the second day of the hearing on the issue, Mr. Syam Divan said the two legislations on the repeal of CRDA and decentralisation were against the spirit of Constitution.
After bifurcation of the State, the decision to locate the capital between Guntur and Vijayawada had been taken following the Justice Sri Krishna Committee report, he said.
He also argued that the Central government had allocated ₹2,500 crore for the development of the capital, and hence the present government had no right to shift it.
Mr. Syam Divan said land owners had voluntarily parted with the lands, and with the decision of the government, they stand to lose ₹1 crore per acre.
“The price of land ranged between ₹5,000 and ₹7,000 per square yard before the announcement of the capital. Later, the price shot up and ranged between ₹44,000 and ₹70,000 per square yard. Going by the present market value, the government has to pay ₹1 crore to every farmer,” he argued.
