New Districts Likely, CM Naidu Busy with Revamp
Naidu received appeals and objections on the district-reorganisation exercise done by the previous government and would aim to resolve these and likely set up a few new districts.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is currently focusing his attention on the reorganisation of districts and mandals, as well as in effecting changes in village names and boundaries.
Naidu received appeals and objections on the district-reorganisation exercise done by the previous government and would aim to resolve these and likely set up a few new districts.
The former YSR Congress government reorganised districts and raised their number from 13 to 26 in 2022. There were many objections and requests from the people and public representatives about this division.
Reliable sources said Amaravati Capital is in the Guntur district. No district exists with the name of the capital. Hence, the government aims to establish a new district for Amaravati. This would help in the swift development of the capital areas.
Naidu had toured the state during the 2024 elections, when he received numerous requests, demands and objections over the reorganised districts. Naidu assured them that he would resolve the issues.
Recently, the CM formed a GoM led by revenue minister Anagani Satyaprasad and comprising seven other ministers: Nadendla Manohar, Satyakumar Yadav, P Narayana, Vangalapudi Anitha, BC Janardhan Reddy and Nimmala Ramanaidu. He asked the ministers to complete the entire process by December 31.
Naidu asked the ministers to tour the districts to know the ground situation and interact with the public, elected representatives and organisations. The ministers would undertake this exercise by visiting district headquarters on August 29 and 30, in two groups. The people can submit petitions to their district collectors until Sept 2 on the districts' reorganisations, mandal and village boundaries.
There are strong demands to form new districts with Markapuram as the centre in the joint Prakasam district and Hindupuram as the centre in the joint Anantapur district.
The people from some areas are demanding that Rajampet be made the district headquarters instead of Rayachoti for Annamayya district. Some others want to continue with Rayachoti. There are also demands that the Nuziveedu and Kaikaluru constituencies, which are currently under the Eluru district due to reorganisation, should be kept back with the Krishna district.
The YSRC government promised to form a new mandal with Y Ramavaram as headquarters in the Alluri Seetharamaraju district, but it failed to materialise; hence, a demand for formation of Y Ramavaram mandal.
Fifteen petitions have been submitted to the ministers regarding reorganisation and changes. Former minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasad sought naming the Guntur or Palnadu district after the famous poet Gurram Jashua.
Representatives from Chirala want to make Chirala the headquarters of the Bapatla district and its renaming after freedom fighter Duggirala Gopala Krishnaiah.
The villagers from Murapaka in Srikakulam district want their village to be declared a mandal headquarters. Residents of Madicherla in Krishna district want shifting of their village from Bapulapadu mandal to Nuzvid or Musunuru mandal.
Social media is abuzz with unconfirmed reports of raising the number of districts to 32, each with 4-5 assembly segments, and restructuring of mandals.
Minister Satyaprasad said the GoM would consider the creation of new districts, but will not deal with changes to assembly constituencies. “Our recommendations would focus on administrative convenience, accessibility for the public and increased government revenue,” he said.
