KURNOOL: Thousands of people, including students, youth, advocates and intellectuals, held Atma Gourava Rally in the city on Tuesday demanding setting up of judicial capital in Kurnool as part of the three-capital proposal of the State government to promote regional balanced development. The massive self-respect rally taken out from Rajvihar Circle in the city culminated into a public meeting at the Collectorate.
Speakers at the meeting vowed to continue the movement demanding development of the backward Rayalaseema region by making Kurnool as the judicial capital as part of the decentralised administration. It was decided to organise ‘Laksha Gontula Polikeka’ in Kurnool city in the last week of November to press for the demand.
The rally became a huge success with the participation of private school managements association, students and youth joint action committee, advocates joint action committee, intellectuals association, junior and degree colleges association and engineering colleges association.
Rayalaseema Students and Youth Associations’ Joint Action Committee convener B Sriramulu said November 1 is a ‘Black Day’ for Rayalaseema region. “Leaders of all the political parties should write letters to the Centre seeking establishment of the High Court in Kurnool. Rayalaseema will be rendered injustice once again if we do not raise our voice now,’’ he said.
Sriramulu also asserted that people should question those leaders who are not working for the development of the region.“Let us all unite and fight for the High Court, completion of pending projects, rightful share of water for irrigation and establishment of industries in Rayalaseema,’’ he exhorted people.
He said Kurnool people had sacrificed more than 1 lakh acres of fertile land for the sake of Srisailam reservoir. “Our sacrifices are greater than the claims of people of Amaravati capital region,’’ the JAC convener said. He found fault with some political parties supporting the bogus agitations in favour of Amaravati as the sole capital of the State and questioned what they will lose if the judicial capital is set up in Kurnool.
Kurnool District Bar Association (KDBA) president MR Krishna said demanded issuance of a gazette notification with an endorsement from the Supreme Court for the establishment of High Court in Kurnool at the earliest. Speaking about the Sribagh Pact, he said it is an agreement made between the political leaders of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions during the separate Andhra in 1937.
The agreement is popularly known as ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ as there was no statutory binding to the provisions. The pact was implemented for a brief period in 1956 and later it was neglected, he said and demanded that the government implement the Sribagh Pact.