Ramachandraiah Chigurupati | Centre for Economic and Social Studies

Papers by Ramachandraiah Chigurupati

The City and the Railway in the World from the Nineteenth Century to the Present, May 20, 2022

Centre For Economic and Social Studies Hyderabad Working Papers, 2004

This paper proceeds with approach that it is the constitutional obligation of the State to provid... more This paper proceeds with approach that it is the constitutional obligation of the State to provide adequate quantity of drinking water to the citizens and also protect water resources as common goods. [WP no. 56].

Environment and Urbanization Asia, 2014

Indian megacities are witnessing significant changes in land use in their peri-urban areas due to... more Indian megacities are witnessing significant changes in land use in their peri-urban areas due to the location of large infrastructure and development projects such as airports, special economic zones, information technology parks, real estate ventures and ring roads. The location of such projects and consequent land acquisition from rural farmers have serious impacts on vegetable cultivation and their livelihood security in the peri-urban areas. The present article deals with land acquisition for an outer ring road, a 159-km-long eight-lane express highway, around the Hyderabad city and its impact on loss of vegetable cultivation. Based on secondary and primary data, the study brings out that the loss of land had an adverse impact on the extent of vegetable cultivation and the economic security of the rural folks. Though the incomes from vegetable cultivation were not very high, they were earning incomes regularly from this activity and were able to support their families including...

Environment and Urbanization, 2011

This paper describes the flooding of Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh, India, in October 2009 and e... more This paper describes the flooding of Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh, India, in October 2009 and explains how several factors combined to cause one of the worst floods in 100 years. Several areas were submerged in more than 30 feet of water and it took more than three days for the water to recede completely from the town. Drawing on official information and on the responses of affected people, the paper discusses the situation during and after the floods, especially around water and sanitation services, the distribution of relief materials and the post-flood recovery process. Based on this information, the paper proposes several recommendations that are relevant to the policy framework to handle urban floods in similar situations.

Economic & Political Weekly, 2009

This paper examines Amaravati, the proposed greenfield capital of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh s... more This paper examines Amaravati, the proposed greenfield
capital of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh state, against the backdrop of the rise of urban mega-projects across Asia, and the tendencies towards land speculation they have unleashed in Indian cities. It offers a critique of the land pooling mechanisms as they have played out on the ground in the affected villages. It argues that voluntary land pooling on such a large scale has been made possible through a coordinated use of coercive tactics and legal measures, including the land ordinance of the Government of India, which was re-promulgated three times and provided a credible fall back in the AP government’s dealings with farmers. Land pooling also
facilitated a regime of co-option with absentee landowners aligning, on caste lines, with the ruling party.

Amaravati, the planned new capital of Andhra Pradesh, is to be set up in a highly fertile, multi-... more Amaravati, the planned new capital of Andhra Pradesh, is to be set up in a highly fertile, multi-cropped area in the Guntur–Krishna belt where the water table is just 15 to 20 feet below the surface. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has been aggressively pursuing land pooling through a series of not-too-friendly measures to
acquire land for the capital which will be located in a low- to medium-risk flood area. Where the Singapore consultancy’s master plan for the new city, Amaravati, falters is in not visualising the need to accommodate low-income residents and the informal sector in the new capital, and in its exaggerated projections of employment generation in the information technology sector.

Indian mega cities are witnessing significant changes in land use in their peri urban areas due t... more Indian mega cities are witnessing significant changes in land use in their peri urban areas due to location of large infrastructure and development projects like airports, special economic zones, information technology parks, real estate ventures, ring roads etc. Location of such projects and
consequent land acquisition from rural farmers have serious impacts on vegetable cultivation and their livelihood security in the peri urban areas. The present papers deals with land acquisition for outer ring road, a 159-km long 8-lane express highway, around Hyderabad city and its impact on loss of vegetable cultivation. Based on secondary and primary data, the study brings out that the loss of land had an adverse impact on the extent of vegetable cultivation and the economic security of the rural folks. Though the income from vegetable cultivation was not very high, they were earning incomes regularly from this activity and were able to support their families including children’s education, clearing small debts, meeting household expenses etc. Loss of such regular income has adversely affected their livelihood security. With the loss
of land, they have also lost income from cattle rearing and dairying. Many of them could not cultivate their remaining lands as the massive new road separated them with reduced access.

ABSTRACT Chigurupati Ramachandraiah and Ramasamy Srinivasan argue that special economic zones in ... more ABSTRACT Chigurupati Ramachandraiah and Ramasamy Srinivasan argue that special economic zones in India are not pro-poor people centred development but rather are a form of land grab that dispossess rural peasants to the benefit of big capital and the elite. After 60 years of ...

In the 10 days since the revelation of the massive fraud at Satyam, there has been much speculati... more In the 10 days since the revelation of the massive fraud at Satyam, there has been much speculation that the holes in the software company’s books were caused by the promoters’ links with Maytas, the infrastructure company that in recent years has become the favourite of the government of Andhra Pradesh. This article puts under the magnifying lens the award in 2008 of the massive Rs 12,000 crore contract to Maytas to build and operate the Hyderabad Metro.

The objective of this study was to primarily get an overview of the availability health services ... more The objective of this study was to primarily get an overview of the availability health services and disease patterns in Hyderabad. Some broad picture has emerged as an outcome of this study but it needs to be again mentioned that this is only an incomplete picture as a lot of health data is not represented in this study due to non-availability. A major observation of this study is that data on health in Hyderabad is sketchy and no complete data bank on health is available. Nonetheless, the major outcomes of the study indicate some important trends that need to be highlighted and considered for further research. 1. Distribution of health services in the city is not uniform. Private health care is more used and spread over the city, outnumbering government health facilities. But in poorer areas, outskirts, and parts of the Old City, private health facilities are fewer. It is in these areas that government health care needs to address the health needs of the people with more facilities. This is not to say that government health facilities in other areas need to be ignored. Circles 1, 11, and 111 have fewer health facilities than other Circles. 2. While the poor do see government health care as their first choice, they are forced to shift to the private health sector due to lack of doctors, proper treatment and proximity. There is therefore an urgent need for strengthening and improving services in government health sector. 3. The disease profile shows a resurgence of infectious and communicable diseases in the city. TB, Diphtheria, Malaria are major causes of morbidity. The rise of Chikungunya in 2006 further emphasizes that most of these diseases are preventable. The very high numbers of diarrhea and enteric fever cases, specially among children clearly points to the poor public health facilities in slum colonies. 4. Women in the slums are in poor health with high numbers reporting anemia linked problems, RTI and UTI. STD cases also appear quite high in Salivahana Nagar. As the treatment for these diseases is long drawn and involves the spouse/partner, the urban health post needs to include men also in treatment for it to be effective. 5. Data from both the UHP shows that family planning by pushing contraception seems to be a major agenda, besides immunization. In conclusion, this study argues that health care has to be a state concern with the state being the major provider. The private health sector can only be an option, not the main health care provider. In a situation, where economic inequality is sharp and wide with 30% of Hyderabad’s population in slums, State responsibility in public health and primary health care provision is absolutely critical. Moreover, the comeback of old and emergence of new diseases in the city in recent years, supports this demand for greater government role. New diseases like Chikungunya make no class, caste, area, gender distinction thereby suggesting that a collapse of public health and poor environment can lead to both old and new epidemics. This study claims to only unravel the tip of the iceberg and the signals it sends are disturbing and need urgent attention by health planners. (Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Ms. E. Deepa who assisted in data collection and analysis for the study)