ONGOLE: The demand for creation of two new districts from Prakasam district with Chirala and Markapuram as headquarters is intensifying. During elections, YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to create 25 new districts — one each Parliamentary constituency as a district — and with the YSRC coming to power, the pitch for new districts of Chirala and Markapuram is gaining pace.
Joint Action Committees (JACs) with leaders of all political parties, student union leaders, intellectuals and advocates have been formed to take forward the demand. The JAC leaders are distributing pamphlets in Chirala and surrounding areas explaining the need of Chirala district.
The JAC for Chirala district was formed under the chairmanship of T Devaraj. The JAC leaders took out a rally in Ongole town and submitted a representation to the district collector.“Chirala has road and rail connectivity and is a hub for textile industry. It has a good number of educational institutions and all facilities necessary for district headquarters are available in Chirala. Sand needed for the construction of new government buildings is available locally and there are nearly 35,000 construction workers,’’ Devaraj said.
Moreover, Chirala does not have the threat of getting hit by cyclones, he added. The JAC also proposed that Chirala district be named after ‘Andhra Ratna’ Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya. Similarly, a JAC was formed in Markapuram with representatives of various parties and civil society. The JAC said that it is unscientific to carve out a district from each Parliamentary constituency.