VIJAYAWADA: Amaravati farmers have filed a contempt petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court stating that the State government did not willfully implement the court order on developing the capital and the capital region in six months. In their petition, Amaravati farmers Done Sambasiva Rao and Tati Srinivas Rao named Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana and Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Special Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly secretary Balakrishnamacharyulu, Principal Secretaries MT Krishna Babu (R&B) and SS Rawat (finance) and Special Chief Secretary (municipal administration) Y Srilakshmi as respondents.
The petitioners urged the court to punish the respondents for contempt of court. They said even months after the court order, facilities such as electricity, drainage, roads and drinking water for the developed plots given to farmers under the Land Pooling Scheme in the capital area were not developed. “The orders to complete town planning schemes under Sec 61 of the CRDA Act were willfully not implemented, which is nothing but contempt of court.” They contended that even responsibilities mentioned under Schedule 3 of the Land Polling Scheme were ignored.
The petitioners said as the Chief Minister and other ministers were willfully not implementing the court order they were included as respondents in individual capacity. The Chief Minister and other ministers influence the officials, they observed.
Petitioners further prayed to the court to reject the affidavit filed by the Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma informing the court that it was not possible to develop the capital region in six months and seeking more time. In a counter-affidavit, they argued that even saying that it was not possible to implement the court order is contempt.
They said Botha Satyanarayana’s comments that the State was committed to the three capitals, immediately after the court verdict should also be treated as contempt. They said the minister’s comments hinted that the courts are hindering the legislature from making laws, which is but belittlingly the court and judges. The petitioners also found fault with Dharmana Prasad Rao, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy for their ‘disparaging’ comments on High Court and its order on the floor of the Assembly.