In a move apparently designed to dilute the Telangana movement, the state government is planning to increase the number of districts to 42, making them co-terminus with Lok Sabha constituencies.
The Rural Development Minister Manikya Varaprasad is said to be the brain behind the concept. The officials of the General Administration Department are already working on the proposal which is ostensibly based on factors like administrative convenience, area and population.
The argument in favour of increasing the number of districts from the present 23 to 42 is that the central government has already asked the states to consider the idea keeping in view the interests and convenience of the common public.
A meeting of the state cabinet scheduled on April 16 will consider the proposal, according to a lead story in “Andhra Jyothy”.
The move comes at a time when the Telangana agitation is at its peak. The reconstitution of districts could lead to dilution of the statehood sentiment in Telangana and help in meeting the aspirations of the people, it is argued.
Varaprasad, who is the prime mover behind the concept, argues that such an exercise will help in improving the infrastructure and road connectivity in the backward areas and developing new towns. He said he could take forward the proposal if the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and other cabinet colleagues agree with him.
The Minister had earlier created a stir in political circles when he suggested that the Assembly sessions should be held in villages so that the pressing public issues could be discussed. It is also being argued that there is no politics involved in this exercise and the views of intellectuals and development experts would be taken. In fact, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao has also favoured the concept of reconstitution of districts, the Minister has claimed.
With the state’s population touching 8.50 crore, there is a need to take the administration closer to the people and make it more responsive.
A comprehensive report is being prepared on the re-constitution of the districts and will be be placed before the cabinet for further discussion and fine-tuning.
The modification exercise will be applicable equally to all the three regions of the state, strictly in accordance with the needs of the local people. By this, the welfare and development programmes of the government would reach them, the Minister contended.
For instance, the coastal districts of Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Krishna and Guntur could be split into two while Prakasam and Kurnool could be made into three districts and Nellore, Kadapa and Chittoor could be reconstituted to form four districts.
