Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The  Amaravati capital city project in Andhra Pradesh has once again become embroiled in controversy following an anonymous complaint submitted to the World Bank Inspection Panel on December 18. The complaint alleges irregularities in the land acquisition process, echoing similar concerns raised in the past.

The complainants claim that land acquisition for the capital’s development was conducted unlawfully, with farmers allegedly coerced and intimidated into signing agreements. The complaint further alleges that the project has negatively impacted local livelihoods, posing a threat to regional food security and exacerbating environmental, social, and economic inequalities.

Key allegations include a lack of meaningful consultation with affected farmers, the withholding of crucial information, and the exploitation of migrant construction workers through extremely low wages.

This is not the first time the Amaravati project has faced such scrutiny. During N. Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure (2014-2019), similar allegations were made in letters aimed at deterring international funding. The World Bank Inspection Panel investigated those claims and ultimately found them to be unsubstantiated. However, after the YSR Congress Party, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, assumed power in 2019, the state government rejected World Bank funding for the project. The new coalition government has recently accelerated efforts to advance the Amaravati project. Observers suggest that this latest complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel may represent a renewed attempt to obstruct the project’s progress, mirroring previous efforts to halt its development. The World Bank has yet to comment on the new complaint.