The zonal system announced in the Amaravati Perspective Plan-2050 has triggered a wave of protests in the villages of Amaravati capital region. Farmer are worried that the zonal system would prohibit construction activity in their villages. After a long time,farmers again are hitting the road against the zonal system which was announced without taking them into confidence. What is significant is the farmers, whom chief minister Chandrababu Naidu praises for sacrificing their lands for capital, are up against the government and CRDA for robbing them of their future in the name zoning the capital region .
According to CPM leader Pashyam Rama Rao, the CRDA is bringing in new regulations in the name of Agriculture Protection Zones. He said that construction activity on the lands in 35 mandals, that fall in the notified capital region development authority, had been prohibited in the name of protecting the agriculture zones. The construction activity-rebuilding of houses, construction of new buildings, apartments- will be banned till 2050 once the new regulations come into force. While negotiating with farmers on the land pooling system, the CRDA official had never hinted at a possibility of zoning the area into agri zones and green zones.
The decision took the farmers by surprise as they were assured that their villages would remain intact. With the zoning of the region, the farmers would have to live without any developmental activity in their villages while the areas around them grow into world-class city . Many farmer see this as conspiracy by the government to evacuate them from the villages.
In the zoning of area, all the multicrop land have been removed from the agrizone. There are no restriction on agrizones, where developmental activities can be taken up. But, in the areas, labeled as green zones, no construction activity is allowed till 2050. What the farmers object is that all the multicrop lands fall in the category of green zone. And also, the areas which the government wants to transfer to Singapore companies and other companies fall in agrizone. This is area will witness economic boom while green zones remain underdeveloped. “Prohibiting of construction activity for 35 years in the name of green belt is totally unjustified and is only aimed at concentrating all development activity in one region at the cost of other, ” Ramao Rao said.
He alleged that the government was unilaterally deciding everything without taking either political parties and farmers into confidence. The farmers alleged that they were not given enough time to study and understand the Amaravati Perspective Plan-2050 which is purely a technical document where many aspects lie hidden.
Farmers are demanding that more time be given and last date for expressing views and objections be extended upto March 31. On the other side opposition YSRCP also joined chorus with farmers in opposing the Zoning of capital region into agriculture and green belts.
The party said such Zoning and prohibition of construction activity would lead to islands of poverty amid the Amaravati prosperity.
