Tummala Urges Naidu to Return Five Villages to Telangana

 Nalgonda: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has urged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to consider the remerger of five villages adjoining Bhadrachalam town with Telangana, in line with the long-standing demand of the local people and their historical association with the region.

In a letter addressed to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Tummala said that in view of the ongoing exercise of district boundary reorganisation and rationalisation being undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government, he wished to draw attention to the demand of Telangana’s people for restoring these villages.

“During the reorganisation of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Bhadrachalam town was retained in Telangana, but five adjoining gram panchayats, Yatapaka, Kannaigudem, Pichukalapadu, Purushothapatnam, and Gundala, were attached to Andhra Pradesh. These habitations are geographically positioned like an enclave, bordered by Telangana on two sides, with the Godavari River and reserve forests on the other, creating administrative difficulties for both states,” the minister wrote.

He noted that over the past decade, residents, particularly from tribal communities, have repeatedly represented their demand through memoranda, peaceful protests, and public forums, urging that these villages be restored to Telangana. Their appeal, he said, is based on administrative convenience, historic linkage with Bhadrachalam, socio-cultural affinity, and easier access to government services.

Tummala pointed out that while the famous Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple at Bhadrachalam lies in Telangana, several associated temple lands are located in Purushothapatnam, now in Andhra Pradesh. Tribal residents, he said, face repeated inter-state checks and logistical difficulties in accessing education, healthcare, and livelihood support. The division has also created law and order coordination challenges in the Left-Wing Extremism-affected belt due to split jurisdiction.

He added that connectivity between the tribal mandals of Telangana and Bhadrachalam town remains fragmented, and public sentiment in the region continues to strongly favor realignment.

Tummala appealed to Chief Minister Naidu to sympathetically consider the long-standing aspiration of the people of Bhadrachalam and initiate steps to restore the five villages to Telangana.