Capital cannot belong to a particular section: HC

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday observed a State’s capital cannot belong to a particular section and that it belongs to all people in the state. Similarly, Kurnool and Visakhaptnam too belong to all and not to a particular section of people.

The three-member division bench comprising Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy and Justice DVSS Somayajulu made the observations, when the Supreme Court senior advocate Shyam Divan argued that farmers who gave their land for the capital city have special rights and they should be treated as a special section and not like others.

The bench said that when Amaravati is being described as people’s capital, it belongs to all and not to a particular section. Like freedom fighters who fought for the country’s independence cannot claim that the country belongs solely to them, a section of people cannot claim that the capital belongs to them, the High Court bench observed.

On the second day of the daily hearings on a batch of patients challenging the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions and the CRDA Repeal Acts, which resumed on Monday, standing for Rajadhani Rythu Parirakshana Samithi, Shyam Divan continued his arguments. He said after the elections, the attitude of the government towards the capital has changed.

Creation of basic infrastructure was completely neglected, he said and added that without basic infrastructure no region will develop. He argued that such an attitude of the government has denied an increase in the value of the plots issued to the farmers in lieu of the lands they gave for the capital city.