People Upset Over Non-Inclusion of Ramachandrapuram in Kakinada District

Kakinada: People of Ramachandrapuram are angry with AP government for not including their assembly constituency in Kakinada district.

Led by the Joint Action Committee headed by former Ramachandrapuram Bar Association president M. Ammi Raju, various types of protests had been organised, including rasta rook, demanding that Ramachandrapuram constituency be included in Kakinada district.

Post the announcement by N. Chandrababu Naidu government that there will be reorganisation of districts and mandals, 74 villages in Kajuluru, K. Gangavaram and Ramachandrapuram mandals as well as Ramachandrapuram municipality had passed resolutions that Ramachandrapuram constituency be separated from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district and instead merged with Kakinada district.

Their contention had been that it is very difficult going to Amalapuram, the district headquarter of Konaseema district, for government-related works because they have to cross River Godavari using the Kotipalli-Mukteswaram ferry. If there are heavy rains or floods, the ferry is closed for months. They then have to travel 100 kilometres to reach Amalapuram.

Ammi Raju maintained that their travelling distance will be 40–60 km if Ramachandrapuram constituency is merged with Kakinada district. In this regard, Ammi Raju said second rung leaders of all political parties like Jana Sena, YSRC, Telugu Desam, BJP and Congress had backed the JAC’s proposal.

However, the JAC leader said the proposal did not succeed because main leaders like Labour Minister Vasamsetti Subhash (Telugu Desam), who is also MLA from Ramachandrapuram, former minister Ch. Srinivasa Venu Gopalakrishna (YSRC), YSRC MlC Thota Trimurthulu, Rajya Sabha member Pilli Subhashchandra Bose and his son Pilli Surya Prakash are not backing the people’s demand for their own selfish interests.

“The NDA alliance government has denied the proposal owing to its political compulsions, though it is not in public interest,’’ Ammi Raju maintained. He regretted that to divert attention, the TD is now blaming the YSRC government for the problem.

He said the JAC will draw a plan of action to agitate against the government and also consider proceeding legally into the matter. He demanded that the government disclose why Mandapeta constituency has been merged into East Godavari district while Ramachandrapuram constituency has not been included in Kakinada district.