Anantapur: Demands to name new districts after reformers

Anantapur: With the government’s proposals to form new districts, southern parts of Anantapur district and Hindupur Lok Sabha segment are likely to get split to form a new district. However, leaders and representatives from various parts have been demanding priority to their home towns to make Anantapur district as the headquarters. In addition to previous proposals, fresh demands have been coming up, about naming the new district.

Anantapur district, one of the big districts in the state, has two Parliamentary segments- Anantapur and Hindupur, along with 14 Assembly segments. There has been a long pending demand to rename Anantapur as Satyasai district, considering the services of Sri Satya Saibaba at Prasanthi Nilayam and it had also brought International attention as a spiritual centre, attracting foreign devotees from several countries across the globe. Though, there was demand from devotees to name it as Satyasai district when Baba was alive, pressure increased after his demise.

Similarly, historians and the admirers of Vijayanagar Empire stressed the need to name the place after former Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya’s Rajguru Saint Sri Vyasaraja. As the region is already named as Rayalaseema with regard to Sri Krishnadevaraya, the devotees of Vyasaraja stressed the need to name it after him as he constructed many tanks and 732 Hanuman temples in Vijayanagar Empire.

“At least 332 Lord Hanuman statues were consecrated surrounding Penukonda, summer capital of Vijayanagar empire by the Saint. We feel Vyasaraja’s name would be suitable for the new district because it occupies the summer capital,” said Vijayaendra Murthy, founder of Sri Vyasaraja Mutt. He further added that a delegation would meet Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in this regard.

In addition to the name, the leaders and organisations have been demanding to set up a district headquarters  in their home town.

Ghanagiri Parirakshana Samithi chairman Prathap Reddy observed that Penukonda shall be made the district headquarters as it was the summer capital of Vijayanagar Empire and has access to all other parts of the proposed new district. “We have access to two major highways and road connectivity to other parts. It will have cultural and traditional recognition if Penukonda is made the district headquarters,” Mr Pratap Reddy said.

However, former minister P. Raghunath Reddy of Puttaparthi said that Puttaparthi town has all facilities to be the new headquarters. While planning a massive campaign to mount pressure on the government to consider Puttaparthi as the headquarters, Mr Raghunath Reddy observed that the new headquarters would have all facilities.

Similarly, leaders and organisations from Hindupur said that Hindupur has all facilities to have the headquarters.

“Being the Headquarters for Hindpur Lok Sabha segment, the business centre can have easy access to people from all other parts of the proposed district,” former Municipal Chairman B.S. Vidyasagar observed.