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Andhra capital Amaravati likely to become new district
It has been proposed to include five assembly constituencies – Pedakurapadu, Tadikonda, Mangalagiri, Jaggayyapeta and Nandigama – into the new district of Amaravati. Among them, Jaggayyapeta and Nandigama are presently under NTR district and the remaining three are part of Guntur district
Hyderabad: Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, is going to be demarcated as a new district, if the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has its way, people familiar with the matter said.
A group of ministers, which is presently examining the issue of reorganisation of existing districts, changing their boundaries, renaming some of them and creating new districts, is likely to recommend the development of Amaravati as a separate district.
Currently, Amaravati comprises 29 revenue villages which fall under three mandals (blocks) – Mangalagiri, Thullur and Tadepalli of Guntur district. “Since it is going to be developed into a capital city with vast scope of expansion, the group of ministers is considering the proposal to make Amaravati a separate district for administrative convenience,” an official of the municipal administration and urban development department said.
He said it was proposed to include five assembly constituencies – Pedakurapadu, Tadikonda, Mangalagiri, Jaggayyapeta and Nandigama – into the new district of Amaravati. Among them, Jaggayyapeta and Nandigama are presently under NTR district and the remaining three are part of Guntur district.
The group of ministers (cabinet sub-committee) was formed through a government order on July 22 this year to examine and resolve issues raised by citizens and elected representatives regarding the names and boundaries of districts, mandals and villages.
The sub-committee comprises revenue minister Anagani Satya Prasad, municipal administration and urban development minister Ponguru Narayana, home minister Vangalapudi Anitha, roads and buildings minister BC Janardhan Reddy, irrigation minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, food and civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar and health minister Satya Kumar Yadav.
The special chief secretary to the revenue department has been appointed as the convenor of the committee, coordinating meetings and ensuring the participation of relevant officials when required.
The cabinet sub-committee was also given the task of preservation of historical and cultural affiliations and ensuring balanced socio-economic development across regions, and the equitable distribution of population and geographical area to support effective governance.
The official cited above said the cabinet sub-committee is expected to recommend increasing the number of districts in the state from present 26 to 32. Besides Amaravati, the new districts that may be formed are Markapur, Gudur, Adoni, Palasa and Madanapalle.
The sub-committee is likely to reshuffle the districts by shifting several assembly constituencies from existing districts into new ones. For example, Penamaluru and Gannavaram assembly constituencies may be shifted from Krishna district into NTR district; while Addanki and Kanigiri constituencies are likely to be brought back into Prakasam district.
“The government’s focus is on reducing the distance to district headquarters and improving administrative convenience. The cabinet sub-committee is expected to submit the report to the government in a month or two for taking a decision on the creation of new districts and making boundary changes in line with the latest requirements, the official added.
