Tirupati: Controversies erupt on criteria for new districts

Tirupati: The government has stirred the hornet's nest with the bifurcation move of the districts. The decision to form new districts with parliamentary constituencies as the criteria is drawing flak due to various reasons. Controversies erupt in the proposed new districts where some segments of the parliamentary constituency are located in other districts.

Some Assembly segments of new districts of Tirupati and Rajampet (parliamentary constituencies) are located in Nellore and Chittoor districts respectively. If Lok Sabha segment will be the criteria for forming a new district, Sarvepalli, Gudur, Sullurpet and Venkatagiri Assembly constituencies in Nellore district will come under Tirupati district. Then the new district headquarter will be far away to these four segments.

Also, Tirupati rural which is almost merged with Tirupati urban falls under Chandragiri constituency and comes under Chittoor Loksabha constituency. For instance, Tiruchanur which is just a few km from Tirupati will be the part of Chittoor district and not that of Tirupati district which will have in its limits areas of about 150 kms away in Nellore district.

Similarly, Rajampet Loksabha constituency is having four Assembly segments in Chittoor district and three segments in Kadapa district. Madanapalli, Thamballapalli, Punganur and Piler are in Chittoor district. The people of these four segments want Madanapalli as district headquarters instead of Rajampet.

Already Madanapalli is the largest revenue division. People there argue that by any criteria, the town should become the new district headquarters. Several likeminded people have formed 'Madanapalli Jilla Sadhana Samithi' (MJSS) last year itself and have been fighting for their demand. It was joined by leaders of all political parties except the ruling YSRCP.

The Convenor of MJSS P T M Sivaprasad told The Hans India, "Geographically or population density wise, Madanapalle should become the district headquarters and it was our long pending demand. We have been fighting continuously for the last one month and organising relay fasts".

Meanwhile, YSRCP district secretary Sasidhar Naidu has come up with another demand of making Palamaner as the headquarters of the new district. Several such demands may be seen in the days to come from other parts also.

It may be noted that TDP politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy has already criticised the move as incorrect and said that the villages within five km away from Nellore Collectorate will become part of Tirupati district if Parliamentary constituencies criteria is taken up.

Moreover, Nellore district will have to forego Krishnapatnam Port, SHAR and other important places to Tirupati with which significance of Nellore will be lost.