The AP High Court’s recent stay on the construction of houses in the R5 Zone of Amaravati’s capital region has become a major setback for the state government. Amaravati farmers and dalit organizations opposed the allocation of 1402 acres of land to non locals in the capital region, and they filed petitions against the decision, seeking relief.
The High Court bench comprising Justice DVSS Somayajulu, Justice CH Manavendranath Rai, and Justice Ravinath Tilhari granted an interim stay on the construction, bringing relief to the petitioners.
The R5 zone, established by the YSRCP government in 2023, covers over 900 acres of land, previously part of other zones, such as non-polluting industry, town centre, educational, and business park zones, which have now been converted for housing the poor. This move sparked controversy as it affected the initial master plan of Amaravati, formulated by the previous government led by Chandrababu Naidu.
Under the earlier plan, land was pooled from farmers and landowners in exchange for developed plots in the urbanized capital city. However, development activities were halted after the YSRCP assumed power in 2019, leading to the ongoing legal battle between Amaravati farmers and the current state government. The AP government is yet to respond to the High Court’s interim orders, and the situation remains tense as the issue continues to unfold.