Anantapur: There is mixed response to the process of finalising the headquarters for the new districts in Rayalaseema region. Region-specific sentiments and concern over the distance towards proposed headquarters are raised by the people and organisations as also ruling party leaders.
Rajampet municipal vice chairman Marri Ravi of the YSRC in Kadapa district expressed his displeasure over the forming of a new district with Rayachoti as its headquarters and named after noted Padakavita Pitamaha and Lord Sri Venkateswara Devotee Annamayya.
Kadapa district was split into YSR and Annamayya districts and the newly proposed Annamayya district will have Rayachoti as headquarters with Rajampet, Railway Kodur, Rayachoti of existing Kadadpa and Madanapalle, Piler and Tamballapalle assembly segments of Chitoor district included in it.
Rajampet municipal vice chairman Ravi who released a selfie video lamented that Annamayya was connected to Rajampet area while Rayachoti was proposed as the district headquarters. “None of our leaders from Kadapa tried to arrange a meet with chief minister to represent such matters. The decision was taken without taking the views of the leaders from Rajampet,” he lamented.
He said the people of Rajampet will be orphaned after its split from the ‘Kadapa’ brand name for their district.
Justifying his view, the municipal chairman said, “We will be happy if the segment will remain with Kadapa district instead of it being merged with Rayachoti district headquarters. “We were supposed to do something for our town by way of its designation as district headquarters, but this decision has disappointed us,” he said.
Another new district headquarters in Anantapur district drew protests from interior parts of the Hindupur Lok Sabha constituency areas. Anantapur district was divided into Anantapur LS area and Hindupur as two districts. The newly proposed district will be known as Satyasai district with Puttaparthi as its headquarters.
The Penukonda people have been demanding Penukonda as headquarters by naming the district as Vijayanagar Empire Sri Krishnadevaraya because a summer capital had existed in Penukonda.
Prathap Reddy, social activist from Penukonda, sought the name Sri Krishnadevaraya for new district headquarters on the lines of what the Karnataka government had done while forming a new district in the name of Vijayanagara after Ballary was divided.
People from Hindupur were hoping to have the district headquarters in Hindupur town that is a business centre and base for the Lok Sabha constituency.
Activists from Agali, Amarapuram, Rolla and Gudibanda of Madakasira assembly segment were opposing the decision citing the long distance to reach the district headquarters, Puttaparthi.
Social activist Ramesh from Rolla noted that the distance is 103 km from Agali mandal headquarters to Puttaparthi and it takes more than 3.45 hours’ time for travel by road. “Already, many people in our area have not seen Anantapur district headquarters that is about 140km away,” he said.
