Andhra Pradesh is set to be reorganised on April 4, soon after the Telugu New Year, with the number of districts going up from 13 to 26. This will be the culmination of a marathon exercise and in line with the poll promise made by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. With a population of over five crores, AP has the second highest average district population of 41 lakh. Geographically too, it is the eighth largest in the country, with several districts being vast in size. Clearly, it makes sense to carve out new districts for ease of administration and public convenience.
Neighbouring Telangana created 23 new districts, taking its tally to 33 from 10 in 2014 when the state was formed. Tamil Nadu has 38 districts. In Andhra’s case, the initial proposal was to have 25 districts—as many as the number of Parliamentary constituencies. This is easier said than done as Assembly segments could not be disturbed nor local sentiments and aspirations brushed aside. The fact that 16,600 suggestions and objections were received from different quarters shows how complicated this endeavour is. The government is also going ahead with redrawing divisions, taking their number to 73.
Among the new districts will be two tribal districts: Manyam, with headquarters in Parvathipuram, and Alluri Sitarama Raju, with headquarters in Paderu. While everyone is in broad agreement with the proposed districts, several intellectuals and activists have raised red flags. For instance, Paderu is far away from the farthest point of the Alluri district. These two districts are being carved out of the Araku Parliamentary constituency, which is spread over four districts. If the purpose is to make the district headquarters accessible, cases like these defeat it.
There are also fears that Adivasis’ rights could be trampled upon and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) violated. Given the number of objections, we need not be surprised if the number of districts goes beyond 30 in the future. The intention of the government is honourable but alongside the decentralisation of administration, it must also focus on ensuring transparency in public services and strengthening local bodies. In the absence of such an effort, it will be business as usual barring some savings in travel expenses.
