Former Union Government Secretary and Environment activist EAS Sharma has alleged that the state government has illegally allotted lands to ArcelorMittal Company and he has requested that the lands be taken back.
In a letter to AP Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand, he mentioned that over 2,200 acres of land belonging to APIIC was transferred to Mittal Company for a steel company in Nakkapalli Mandal of Anakapalle district and for the construction of a captive port on the DL. Puram coast.
He alleged that the state government has violated the Land Acquisition Acts of 1894 and 2013 through this transfer. He made it clear that it is illegal to transfer 3,873 acres of agricultural concession, D Patta, poor cultivation and government land acquired by APIIC in 2010 for public interest to private companies.
Since the land acquisition process is still not complete, Sharma said that allocating the lands to ArcelorMittal is not valid. As per the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, he said generous compensation should be given to those who lost their lands. He made it clear that farmers’ lands should not be encroached upon without providing compensation and rehabilitation.
Sharma deplored that compensation is not given to trees in D-patta lands, to the cultivated lands of the poor, and to the trees therein. He said that compensation should be paid to cultivators on an equal basis with D-patta farmers. He reminded the Supreme Court of its verdict on January 28, 2011 in the Jagpal Singh vs. Punjab Government case that agricultural concessions and government lands should not be transferred to private companies.
He said that according to that verdict, which is applicable to all state governments, transferring government lands to Mittal is illegal. He urged that the lands allocated to Mittal and the port construction approvals should be withdrawn immediately, keeping in mind the legal aspects.
Moreover, Sharma said that the seashore is the traditional habitat of the fishermen and the people there. It is not only illegal for the government, which is supposed to be the trustee on behalf of the people, to unilaterally transfer it to a private company, but it is also a violation of the trust of the people, he added.
He expressed concern that the fishermen depend on the fisheries in the sea for their livelihood, and that the fisheries are decreasing due to pollution from industries encouraged by the government. He also said that the government should keep in mind the loss to the fishermen and the livelihood of the people there.
On the other hand, he cautioned that the government’s decision will cause immense loss to the central government sector enterprises, Visakha Steel Plant and Visakha Port, which contributes to the development of the North Andhra region in many ways, will hurt the sentiments of the people of this region.
