Police have arranged tight security in the AP Capital Region on the banks of River Krishna as farmers announced a bandh on Thursday, protesting the government’s proposal to set up three Capitals in the State.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy recently said AP Capitals may be set up at Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Amaravati. Protesting the proposal to shift the Secretariat and AP High Court from Amaravati, farmers from neighbouring villages are observing a bandh in Guntur district today. They staged ‘dharnas’ and raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the ‘three capitals’ proposal immediately.
Tension mounted in Tadepalli, Mangalagiri, Tullur, Undavalli, Penumaka, Mandadam, Nelapadu, Penumaka, Neerukonda, Bethapudi, and other villages as locals came out of their houses and staged rasta rokos enforcing the bandh.
Land poolers’ ire
“We voluntarily gave about 32,000 acres of fertile land for setting up the Capital in the region. Now, the government is deceiving us with the new proposal to set up three capitals,” the farmers said and demanded withdrawal of the proposal.
As Section 30 of Police Act and Section 144 were in force in the area, police appealed to the agitators not to violate the orders and warned that stern action would be taken against violators, and those causing inconvenience to the public.
Securing important structures
Additional forces have been deployed at the Secretariat, Assembly, temporary High Court and other structures in the wake of the bandh. Traffic came to a halt on many roads due to the protests.
Police have also arranged tight security on the Prakasam Barrage and in the Capital Region to avoid any untoward incidents. Farmers warned they would intensify the agitation if the government did not withdraw the ‘three capitals’ proposal.
