Fire damages farms around proposed AP capital

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police J V Ramudu told reporters that it was "intentional mischief," which is being probed by the Guntur police.

A fire allegedly started by some miscreants on Monday morning damaged banana plantations and pump sheds of farmers in six villages around Tullur in Guntur district, part of which has been earmarked for establishing the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

After receiving the information, District Collector Kantilal Dande and Superintendent of Police (Urban) Rajesh Kumar reached the villages and interacted with affected farmers.

Revenue Department officials have also taken up the task of assessing the damage.

Asked about the incident, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police J V Ramudu, told reporters that it was “intentional mischief“.

He said that banana plantations in six villages were damaged up to a radius of 15 km, which is being probed by the Guntur police.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ordered the collector to conduct an inquiry and sought a report “immediately“.

Meanwhile, demanding a high level inquiry into the fire incident in six villages falling in the orbit of capital city, the main Opposition YSR Congress Party slammed Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Ministers for levelling “baseless allegations” against its chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

“This is not an accident but a pre—planned assault on the farmers by setting fire to their farms. It is no coincidence that the mishap occurred only in the farm lands of those who opposed giving up their land. This strengthens the perception that it was an organised incident,” YSR Congress official spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters in Hyderabad.

“We demand an inquiry into the incident by CBI or a sitting High Court judge to bring out the real reasons behind the so—called fire, which we consider an act to terrorise farmers who refused to give up their land for the capital,” he said.