Vijayawada: The reorganisation of districts exercise is expected to take a little longer as the cabinet sub-committee started to rework the draft report following the chief minister’s suggestions. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu wanted the proposed changes to reflect the public demands, sentiments and convenience. He asked the cabinet sub-committee to ready a scientific report instead of redrawing the boundaries of the existing districts. Taking the chief minister Naidu’s inputs seriously, the cabinet sub-committee held discussions in the secretariat on Wednesday. Ministers Anangani Satyaprasad, Vangalapudi Anitha, Nimmala Ramanaidu, Narayana, Nadendla Manohar and Satya Kumar Yadav attended the meeting while BC Janardhan Reddy shared his views via video-conference. Special chief secretary G Sai Prasad provided the inputs to the sub-committee. Sources said that the cabinet sub-committee might finally recommend the formation of only two new districts. While Markapuram and Madanapalle are sure to get new district status, the cabinet sub-committee has reportedly set its focus on reorganisation of revenue divisions and mandals. Sources said that the committee is believed to have dropped the idea of creating an exclusive tribal district with Rampachodavaram as headquarter. Instead, it discussed the proposal for merger of Rampachodavaram and Chintur revenue divisions in the East Godavari district. Both the divisions are presently part of Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district with Paderu as headquarter. The cabinet sub-committee had also examined the issue that East Godavari district will have four divisions if Rampachodavaram and Chintoor are merged. Similarly, the number of mandals will rise from 19 to 30. On the other hand, Alluri Sitharama Raju district will become much smaller with just Paderu revenue division. The district will have just 11 mandals. “This has become a tricky issue. We are also looking into chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s promise of creating a new district for Rampachodavaram. The tribal areas are becoming too tiny districts where creation of infrastructure for district administration is a big task,” felt a cabinet minister. The committee had also explored the posibility of creation of four revenue divisions with Punganuru/Pileru, Addanki, Giddaluru, and Madakasira as centers. It has proposed changes and additions to revenue divisions and mandals in 10 districts. There is a possibility that Annamayya district headquarter will be shifted from Rayachoti to Rajampet. However, CPI(M) state secretary V Srinivasa Rao demanded creation of tribal district with Rampachodavaram mandal as the existing district headquarter were over 150-180km away from the remote tribal agencies of Chinturu and Rampachodavaram. “It is not correct to say that it would be a small district with just two revenue divisions and less population. We needed to keep the people’s convenience in mind to consider the issue,” said Rao.
