Decision on Andhra Pradesh capital opposed
Visakhapatnam: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) found unacceptable the decision of the AP Cabinet to locate the capital city in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.
“We concur with the recommendation of the Sivaramakrishnan Committee that locating the capital in this area would entail loss of precious agricultural land that would impact negatively upon food security and the environment and would also displace farmers and agricultural labourers in large numbers. Discarding this recommendation would amount to a historic blunder,” said HRF president S. Jeevan Kumar.
In a statement here on Tuesday he said that the Forum also agrees with the Committee’s view that a single ‘super-city’, like the one being repeatedly touted by the TD government, is undesirable. The capital must be more or less centrally located and accessible to all parts of the state and land acquisition for it must involve minimal displacement, it stated.
Official activity must be dispersed across the state with decentralisation being the cardinal principal.
“However, there are several aspects that we find problematic. Most glaring is specific om-ission of the acute predicament of adivasis and fishermen,” Mr Krishna added.
