Andhra Pradesh to name new district after Alluri Sitharamaraju

Kakinada: The state government is planning to create a new district named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitharamaraju. After the bifurcation of the state, seven Agency mandals in Bhadrachalam in Khammam district were merged with East and West Godavari districts to facilitate the construction of Polavaram irrigation project across the Godavari. It is learnt that the AP government is planning to create a new district with the Agency mandals in East Godavari and West Godavari including seven mandals in both the districts, numbering 20. With these 20 mandals, Alluri Seetharamaraju district is likely to be formed.

The officials in both the Godvari districts have been asked to send proposals to the state government with the requisite data with details for the formation of the new district.

According to sources, Bhadrachalam, Chinthuru, Kunavaram and VR Puram merged with East Godavari district and the villages number rose to 277 with 3.29 lakh population whereas Velurupadu, Kukunuru and Burgampahad mandals merged with West Godavari district and the tribe population in West Godavari district rose to 4.31 lakhs and the total population of the two districts is 5.17 lakhs, sources said.

District collector Neethu Prasad convened a meeting with tribal people in East Godavari district as well as  from the mandals of Bhadrachalam at Rampach-odavaram on Thursday to take public opinion on whether  a new district could be formed merging all these mandals or keep it a separate revenue division.

Rampachodavaram MLA Vanthada Rajeswari said that the rights of the tribal people rights should be protected and their living standdards be uplifted.