HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s ambitious proposal to create new districts in the State for administrative convenience appears to be gradually becoming a bugbear for the State government as politicos in each district have begun crossing swords with each other on the total number of new districts, their contours, final shape and composition.
Even though the three-day exercise undertaken by the Cabinet panel with the people’s representatives of each district to elicit their views on creation of new districts ended on Sunday, the issue appears to be gradually becoming sensitive with each passing day.
Lack of agreement among politicos in each district on core issues such as how many districts should be created by dividing the respective district and what should be the contours of proposed new district seems to be widening the chasm among netas in each district on political lines.
This was clearly noticeable on Sunday when the ministerial panel headed by deputy CMs K Srihari and Md Mahmood Ali held talks with the people’s representatives of Mahbubnagar district to gather their views.
According to sources, in the meeting, the panel at first told the participants that the government was planning to carve two more districts- Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy out of the existing Mahbubnagar district. Later, it sought the views of politicos on the same.
Differing with these proposals, former Congress minister DK Aruna demanded creation of Jogulamba district to be headquartered at Gadwal. Her proposal was backed by TRS MP AP Jithender Reddy, who represents Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha segment.
Not agreeing with the government’s proposals, TDP working president A Revanth Reddy wanted a new district to be created with Shadnagar as its headquarters.
Congress veteran G Chinna Reddy backed the State’s proposal to create Wanaparthy district. But his party MLA Ch Vamsichand Reddy did not agree with it and sought creation of a new district to be headquartered at Kalwakurthy. Some other leaders demanded creation of Narayanpet district.
Even as the netas were at loggerheads over proposals to create new districts within Mahbubnagar, some of the activists of an organisation, who want Gadwal town in Mahabubnagar district to become a separate district, staged a dharna in front of the MCRHRD institute here, where the Cabinet panel was holding its meeting.
Interestingly, when the ministerial panel elicited the views of people’s representatives from Warangal district, it reportedly faced a similar situation as there was no agreement among leaders on how many districts will be carved out of it. This meeting was held even as protests were going on in Jangaon for creation of a new district with Jangaon as its headquarters.
Similarly, protests have been taking place in Adilabad district, for the past two days, for and against formation of proposed Nirmal district.
Likewise, there is no unanimity among politicos on the contours of new districts being planned to be carved out of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Nalgonda and Khammam districts.
The panel will now hold similar meetings with collectors to gather their views on new districts.