YSRCP government proposes 13 new districts at a time when Andhra Pradesh is facing cash crunch
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Government Resolution To create 13 new districts in Andhra Pradesh Good governance may be ensured on the lines of what has been done in Telangana, but it adds several challenges to the existing challenges in the state.
As promised before the 2019 assembly elections, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government has created 13 new districts, taking the total number of districts to 26. Each of the 25 assembly constituencies will now become a district. However, the tribal-dominated Araku assembly constituency is spread over several districts and has been divided into two parts. After the reform, now Prakasam district will be the largest in size and Visakhapatnam will be the smallest. The new districts are set to come into force from Ugadi, the Telugu New Year that falls on April 2.
Read also | With the creation of 13 new districts, Andhra Pradesh now has 26 districts
Objections or suggestions have been sought in writing from the people of these districts within 30 days of the notification. The stated objective of the government is to ensure administrative convenience and better development of all regions.
The decision comes at a time when Andhra Pradesh is grappling with financial crunch, revenues are dwindling and expenditure is rising, mainly due to several welfare programs carried out ahead of the elections. A rough estimate suggests that half the budget goes for the salaries of the employees and half for the welfare. The new districts will require additional infrastructure such as office buildings for collectors, superintendents of police and other officials. The carving out of borders, construction of roads and bureaucratic exercise are likely to put further burden on the state exchequer. Also the standoff between the government and the employees over pay revision doesn’t help either. As the district delimitation exercise is expected to intensify, the support of the staff is crucial.
Though objections and suggestions have been invited for 30 days, it seems that every other day new demands and protests are emerging and hence, the matter is likely to go ahead beyond 30 days. Some have opposed the selection of names for the proposed districts. There is a demand for new names from some districts. There are also complaints that the move would affect the identity of people with their districts and that the change in district headquarters would affect people. For example, the proposal to merge the agency area Rampachodavaram from East Godavari district into Araku district was opposed by many because the new district headquarters, Paderu, is about 300 km from Rampachodavaram. Some suggest that Rampachodavaram should be made the headquarters. Another place in the same district, Chintoor, is more than 400 km away from the district headquarter Paderu. Similarly, the people of Ongole feel that the district has lost its identity as most of its parts have been merged with two other districts. There was also a demand to make Hindpur the district headquarters of the new district.
Despite protests, the state government seems to be on a mission. It has planned nine fishing ports and three major seaports along the coast, besides 13 airports. There are already six airports in the state and two more are in the planning and development stages at Bhogapuram and Nellore. While these mega projects are in various stages of development, the state is also under pressure to repair highways and district roads which are in poor condition.
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With massive projects awaiting completion and the state facing a cash crunch, how the Jagan Mohan Reddy government took up the new challenge of creating 13 more districts and infrastructure within a short span of time is unclear. .
appaji.r@thehindu.co.in
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