The government’s decision to retain Rayachoti as the headquarters of Annamayya district, even after carving out the new Madanapalle district, is irrational and unjustifiable.
Decisions with long-term public impact must be guided by logic, yet there is visible unrest among the people of Rajampeta and Kodur, who feel sidelined.
The Rajampeta Parliamentary Constituency consists of seven Assembly segments — Rajampet, Kodur, and Rayachoti from YSR Kadapa district, and Madanapalle, Pileru, Punganur, and Thamballapalle from Chittoor district.
Creating a single district out of this region was inherently difficult because both Rajampet and Madanapalle had long-pending demands for district status, as they are the largest revenue divisions.
The geographical spread across two districts and two forest divisions made selecting an ideal district headquarters nearly impossible.
In 2022, through G.O. Ms. No. 196, the then YSRCP government chose Rayachoti as the district headquarters, citing its geographical position between Rajampeta and Madanapalle. A resolution was passed in the Rajampeta Municipality opposing the proposal.
While Madanapalle received a Medical College and a Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rajampeta received nothing except a Skill College.
Now, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on district reorganisation under the present TDP government has rightly recommended creating the Madanapalle district and shifting the Annamayya district headquarters to Rajampeta. Yet the final decision retains Rayachoti as the headquarters, which is illogical.
If the core purpose of forming smaller districts is to ensure efficient administration, then choosing Rayachoti—located at one far end—defeats that purpose and is unfair to both Rajampeta and Kodur constituencies.
Rayachoti is located 93 km from Kodur, 74 km from Vontimitta, 72 km from Sidhavatam, and 52 km from Rajampeta.
Meanwhile, Rajampeta already has a Sub-Collectorate office with 15 acres of land, centrally located and functioning for more than a century.
Despite being both a revenue division and a forest division, it has never received due prominence because of its proximity to Kadapa.
Moreover, Tallapaka—the birthplace of Annamayya—and the Vontimitta Kodandarama Temple, the official venue for the State Sri Rama Navami celebrations, both fall under Rajampeta.
This decision offers no political or administrative advantage to the TDP and instead creates dissatisfaction in two key constituencies.
I sincerely hope the government reconsiders this decision and designates Rajampeta as the district headquarters of Annamayya.
Dheeraj Pola, Phoenix, Arizona
