The State government’s mammoth exercise to carve out new districts has created enough interest among the general public but the absence of discussion with the stakeholders as promised initially has left the masses discontented.
The intellectuals and academia, who had flashed a number of letters and emails to the government, are speechless when the State announced the process completed and gave the ‘go ahead’ for the new districts to come into effect from Ugadi.
Andhra Pradesh should ideally have 36 to 39 districts, as several of the current districts are vast in size. Telangana, formed with a mere ten districts during bifurcation, had carved out as many as 33 districts, without a semblance of protest, observes K.M. Naidu, a retired professor of Economics at Sri Venkateswara University and conference president of Indian Economic Association (IEA) 2021.
“Whenever such fundamental divisions are undertaken, a committee headed by High Court Judge (sitting or retired) with expert members, is constituted to submit. The panel will tour all districts and elicit stakeholders’ opinion and receive representations from the institutions and expert citizens. Based on this report, the State cabinet will approve, debate in the house and then notify in the gazette.”
Kurnool should have additional Adoni district, apart from Nandyal, Kadapa trifurcated into Pulivendula, Rajampeta and Proddutur. Similarly, apart from Chittoor and Sri Balaji, Chittoor district should have two more new districts with Madanapalle and Piler/Palamaner as headquarters keeping the distances in view.
Rayalaseema Intellectual Forum convener M. Purushotham Reddy, who has been fighting for better stakes for the poverty-ridden region, calls the entire process ‘undemocratic’.
“The government has invited objections and suggestions from the public, but is seldom considering our representations. Any decision, however significant it is, will not be appreciated by the masses if consensus remains elusive,” he said.
CPI national Secretary K. Narayana, hailing from a village abutting Nagari, has already expressed his displeasure over tagging the constituency to Chittoor district and not Sri Balaji, though it starts 15 kms from Tirupati.
