VIJAYAWADA: In a major administrative overhaul aimed at streamlining urban governance and aligning local administrative frameworks with restructured district boundaries, the State government on Monday announced a comprehensive rationalisation of Urban Development Authority (UDA) jurisdictions across the State.
The exercise follows the reorganisation of districts and revenue divisions, which rendered several existing UDA territorial limits outdated and necessitated clear alignment to eliminate jurisdictional ambiguity.
As part of the restructuring, the state has constituted three new bodies, Markapuram Urban Development Authority (MRK UDA), Bhimavaram Urban Development Authority (BHIMA UDA), and Nandyal Urban Development Authority (NDL UDA, with headquarters at Markapuram, Bhimavaram, and Nandyal, respectively.
These creations directly respond to the administrative requirements of the newly formed and reorganised Markapuram, West Godavari, and Nandyal districts.
Alongside establishing the new bodies, the government has realigned the territorial limits of several major existing authorities through the inclusion or exclusion of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), mandals, and villages.
Key entities undergoing jurisdictional adjustment include the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), Tirupati UDA, Puttaparthi UDA, Nellore UDA, Ongole UDA, Eluru UDA, Kurnool UDA, Kakinada UDA, Machilipatnam UDA, Kadapa UDA, and Bapatla UDA.
Furthermore, three existing authorities are being renamed and restructured to reflect regional administrative identities.
Chittoor UDA is being renamed the Chittoor–Palamaneru–Kuppam Urban Development Authority (CPKUDA), the Palamaneru–Kuppam–Madanapalle UDA is being reorganised as the Annamayya Urban Development Authority to align with Annamayya district, and the Anantapur–Hindupur UDA is being renamed the Anantapur Urban Development Authority. Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister P Narayana stated that wide consultations were conducted with public representatives to ensure practical alignment with local linkages.
He emphasised that the reorganisation ensures citizens, local bodies, and district officials can operate smoothly without navigating complex, overlapping boundaries.
Echoing this, MA&UD Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar, IAS, noted that the revised jurisdictions will foster seamless coordination between District Collectors and urban bodies, with detailed schedules for each UDA to be published shortly under the AP Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act, 2016.