Social protest movements in AP in 2018
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RECENT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN ANDHRA PRADESH
Immediately after the Right to Information Act was implemented in 2005, under the aegis of United Forum for Right to Information Campaign activists like Ram Krishna Raju of National Alliance of People’s Movements organised camps in different districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh with the help of local organisations to make people aware of the Act. Information Commission was established and there was keen interest in the implementation of this Act for the first five years. However over a period of time as officials became more familiar with the Act, ways were found to deny the information to the applicants rather than comply with the Act. After the state was divided in 2014 things took a turn for the worse. It appeared that for the two governments the RTI Act did not exist. No Information Commission was formed by Government of Telangana until recently in spite of an High Court order and Government of AP is yet to take the initiative to constitute the Information Commission.
But the worst treatment by the two governments has been reserved for the Right to Education Act 2009. While in other states children from disadvantaged categories and weaker sections are being admitted to expensive private schools under section 12(1)(c) of the Act for free education from classes I to VIII, the two governments of Telangana and AP are yet to frame the rules for the implementation of the Act. Quite clearly the lobby of private schools in collusion with private coaching giants are obstructing the implementation of the RTE Act. Free and compulsory education for children in now a fundamental right and it is the anti-poor bias of the executive which reflects in the laxity demonstrated in the implementation of this Act.
Another issue of concern in AP and Telangana is the increasing rate of suicides among school children due to immense pressure from parents and nexus of coaching institutions and schools to succeed in the entrance examinations to prestigious engineering and medical institutions for higher education. A meeting was organised by a journalist recently in Vijayawada on this issue.
There have been many movements in AP against big projects which pose a danger of land acquisition to farmers and threat to environment in the recent past.
A nuclear power plant was planned to be built in Mithivirdi of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. After a massive and prolonged protest by farmers there, the government has decided to shift this plant to Kovvada of Srikakulam district in AP. It appears that initially the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited was going to build a plant here but it gave up the idea after some protests and possibly for some other reasons. However, the idea of a nuclear plant here has been revived after the proposed plant at Mithivirdi was shifted to this location. Now the plant will be built by Westinghouse Electric Company, which interestingly has filed for bankruptcy in the US. It remains to be seen whether the local people will again display the resistance like last time to stall the project in a manner their Gujarati brethren were able to do.
Plan for setting up a thermal power plant by Nagarjuna Construction Company in Sompeta of Srikakulam district had to be withdrawn after three farmers were killed in police firing in 2010 on a protest against the plant. The government canceled the 972 acres of land, including some wetland called ‘beela’ locally, alloted to the company but the company still holds the land and can use it to set up agro-based industry. In addition the company had acquired 500 acres on its own. There is a monument dedicated to three who were martyred which mentioned well known human rights activist K. Balagopal as the inspiration behind the struggle.
Another two people died one year later in the same district at Kakarapalli, site of another power plant during protests. This plant too was to be set up by The East Coast Energy Private Ltd. on primarily wetland. However, due to financial difficulties the plant could not be completed and now the Telugu Desam Party government says that there is no need to build thermal power plants at the cost of environment and public safety.
There was a plan to set up 29 thermal power plants in Nellore district alone for generating 34,000 MW of electricity. However, there was outcry among the public and after protests in public hearings the number has been brought down to 11 at present. Nowhere else in the country is there such a concentration of thremal power plants.
Immediately after the Right to Information Act was implemented in 2005, under the aegis of United Forum for Right to Information Campaign activists like Ram Krishna Raju of National Alliance of People’s Movements organised camps in different districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh with the help of local organisations to make people aware of the Act. Information Commission was established and there was keen interest in the implementation of this Act for the first five years. However over a period of time as officials became more familiar with the Act, ways were found to deny the information to the applicants rather than comply with the Act. After the state was divided in 2014 things took a turn for the worse. It appeared that for the two governments the RTI Act did not exist. No Information Commission was formed by Government of Telangana until recently in spite of an High Court order and Government of AP is yet to take the initiative to constitute the Information Commission.
But the worst treatment by the two governments has been reserved for the Right to Education Act 2009. While in other states children from disadvantaged categories and weaker sections are being admitted to expensive private schools under section 12(1)(c) of the Act for free education from classes I to VIII, the two governments of Telangana and AP are yet to frame the rules for the implementation of the Act. Quite clearly the lobby of private schools in collusion with private coaching giants are obstructing the implementation of the RTE Act. Free and compulsory education for children in now a fundamental right and it is the anti-poor bias of the executive which reflects in the laxity demonstrated in the implementation of this Act.
Another issue of concern in AP and Telangana is the increasing rate of suicides among school children due to immense pressure from parents and nexus of coaching institutions and schools to succeed in the entrance examinations to prestigious engineering and medical institutions for higher education. A meeting was organised by a journalist recently in Vijayawada on this issue.
There have been many movements in AP against big projects which pose a danger of land acquisition to farmers and threat to environment in the recent past.
A nuclear power plant was planned to be built in Mithivirdi of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. After a massive and prolonged protest by farmers there, the government has decided to shift this plant to Kovvada of Srikakulam district in AP. It appears that initially the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited was going to build a plant here but it gave up the idea after some protests and possibly for some other reasons. However, the idea of a nuclear plant here has been revived after the proposed plant at Mithivirdi was shifted to this location. Now the plant will be built by Westinghouse Electric Company, which interestingly has filed for bankruptcy in the US. It remains to be seen whether the local people will again display the resistance like last time to stall the project in a manner their Gujarati brethren were able to do.
Plan for setting up a thermal power plant by Nagarjuna Construction Company in Sompeta of Srikakulam district had to be withdrawn after three farmers were killed in police firing in 2010 on a protest against the plant. The government canceled the 972 acres of land, including some wetland called ‘beela’ locally, alloted to the company but the company still holds the land and can use it to set up agro-based industry. In addition the company had acquired 500 acres on its own. There is a monument dedicated to three who were martyred which mentioned well known human rights activist K. Balagopal as the inspiration behind the struggle.
Another two people died one year later in the same district at Kakarapalli, site of another power plant during protests. This plant too was to be set up by The East Coast Energy Private Ltd. on primarily wetland. However, due to financial difficulties the plant could not be completed and now the Telugu Desam Party government says that there is no need to build thermal power plants at the cost of environment and public safety.
There was a plan to set up 29 thermal power plants in Nellore district alone for generating 34,000 MW of electricity. However, there was outcry among the public and after protests in public hearings the number has been brought down to 11 at present. Nowhere else in the country is there such a concentration of thremal power plants.
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