HRF favours decentralisation |

[bhaigan]

The forum seeks a fair deal to Amaravati farmers

Members of the Human Rights Forum have termed the decision of the previous TDP government to establish the State capital in Amaravati as a disaster in the making. It has led to a slow death in the political economy of 29 villages earmarked for the capital. The farmers further woke up to a rude shock when the present government decided to reduce Amaravati into a legislative capital and it has created a new set of problems for them, according to K. Sudha, HRF State general secretary. The three-member team of HRF was speaking to a section of the media after a recent fact-finding tour to Amaravati.

“The forum is in principle in favour of decentralisation of development and governance and is of the firm belief that it helps, among other things, address the problem of regional imbalance that the State is confronted with time and again. In 2014 itself, we opposed setting up of the capital in Amaravati. But there have been reports of a special package to the local people from the present government, but there has been no official notification to that effect. For instance, it promised that pension for the landless poor families will be enhanced from ₹2,500 to ₹5,000, but they have not even been paid ₹2,500 for the past three months,” she said.

Forum State president U.G. Srinivasulu said that in the name of capital formation, the previous government managed to obtain lands from the dalits and other marginalised communities. People, who were earlier working their own fields began to be engaged in construction work after the capital region development started.

‘Ryots in distress’

“But soon after the formation of the present government, it cancelled the old contracts and did not enter into new ones. The local workforce thereby lost labour in the villages and have been left with no alternative but to seek work elsewhere. They even lost the rental income, due to this,” he said.

The forum strongly urged the government to rise to the occasion and bail out the people of the area who are under a lot of pressure.

It demanded that the government provide livelihood to the landless poor, build labour intensive small-scale and cottage industries, hand over cultivable land with immediate effect, restore cultivable land, engage the landless poor in such restoration work and in building of roads and a bridge on the Krishna river.

“The government must provide necessary infrastructure, take immediate short- term and long-term measures so as to restore the economy, peace and normalcy in that region,” said G. Rohith, HRF State executive committee member.