VIJAYAWADA: The map of Andhra Pradesh is set to change as the government late on Saturday issued the final notification for reorganising the State by carving out 13 new districts from the current 13, taking the total to 26. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the new districts between 9.04 am and 9.45 am on Monday.
The government also issued orders appointing collectors and police heads to the 26 districts. While two districts—Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam—will have commissioners of police, the remaining 24 will have superintendents of police.
Reorganising the districts from 13 to 25, with each parliamentary segment as a district, was one of Jagan’s poll promises.
In a bid to separate the tribal areas, the government carved out Alluri Sitarama Raju district from West Godavari and Visakhapatnam. The State government, which issued a draft notification in January this year, received more than 17,000 suggestions and objections. The final notification was issued after making minor changes. Some changes include renaming Sri Balaji district as Tirupati with Tirupati city as its headquarters.
The Undi mandal where the Dwaraka Tirumala temple is situated in West Godavari, was proposed to be merged with East Godavari but with opposition from various quarters, it was retained in West Godavari district. Pendurthi, which was planned to be part of Anakapalle district, will now be in Visakhapatnam district.
Visakhapatnam is the only district with only urban areas while Prakasam would be the biggest geographically with an area of 14,322 square kilometres. Population wise, Nellore district would have the highest population of over 24 lakh.
In terms of assembly constituencies and mandals, Prakasam and Nellore are the biggest districts with both having eight assembly constituencies and 38 mandals each.
Revenue divisions increased to 72 from 51, Kuppam in list
Parvathipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitarama Raju, which mostly comprise tribal areas, have a population of less than 10 lakh each.
The revenue divisions, too, have been increased to 72 from 51 with the creation of 21 new divisions. Each new district will have at least one revenue division. While 10 districts have two revenue divisions each, 12 have three each, while four districts have four each. Kuppam, represented by Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu, has been named a revenue division.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botcha Satyanarayana on Sunday reiterated that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has reorganised the districts with an aim to decentralise administration.
“We will take all the services very close to the people with the reorganisation of districts,” he said in Vizianagaram.