Leaders of Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) have asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to “stop the land grab of 12,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the name of new capital city as it will lead to economic and environmental catastrophe.”

Small farmers

In a letter addressed to Mr. Naidu, APC leaders representing Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal besides India, emphasised that it is imperative to protect the lives of the 100,000 people who depend on agriculture and 85 per cent of them were small farmers and landless farm labourers.

Explaining the causes why the Coalition was opposed to this project, they pointed to the fact that farmers in 10 villages located within 2 kms of the Krishna district grow commercially important crops such as banana, sugarcane, cotton, corn, maize, turmeric, guava, lime, chilli and different varieties of vegetables and flowers throughout the year. The villages identified to build a capital city have a vibrant agricultural economy worth Rs. 1,000 crore-a-year with established farm-to-market linkages.

The region is endowed with a rich biodiversity with 120-odd crop species.

They reminded that no government had attempted ‘land-pooling’ on prime agricultural land on such a massive scale. Moreover, the Government was going ahead with the project without holding any public debate or consultation.

It had also ignored the recommendations of the expert committee (Sivaramakrishnan panel) appointed by the Union Home Ministry to help the State identify a site for its new capital.

Carbon emissions

They said the local scientists had drawn their attention to the fact that such an enormous scale of land conversion for urbanisation would lead to increased carbon emissions.

The leaders urged Mr. Naidu to scrap the Land Pooling Act and protect the rich agricultural produce in Krishna river belt.