RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: After 163 years, Rajamahendravaram is set to get the district headquarters status again. As part of reorganisation of districts, the State government has proposed to make Rajamahendravaram the headquarters of East Godavari. Rajahmundry district was formed in 1823 under Madras Presidency. It possessed the status of district headquarters for 36 years from 1823 to 1859.
The district was bifurcated into Godavari and Krishna by the British in 1859. The district headquarters was shifted to Kakinada to take advantage of the sea coast. The district was again bifurcated into East and West Godavari in 1925. Again in 1959, Bhadrachalam and Nuguru Venkatapuram taluks were separated from East Godavari district to carve out Bhadrachalam Revenue Division, which was merged into Khammam for geographical contiguity and administrative viability. East Godavari with its headquarters at Kakinada, emerged as the most populous district in the State.
As per the draft notification, Rajamahendravaram will have 20 mandals and Rajamahendravaram and Kovvur revenue divisions with a total area of 2,079 square km and a population 19.03 lakh. The mandals include Rajamahendravaram urban, rural, Rajanagaram, Korukonda, Seethanagaram, Anaparthy, Biccavolu, Pedapudi, Kadiyam, Kovvur, Tallapudi, Chagallu, Nidadavolu, Peravali, Undrajavaram, Gopalapuram, Dwaraka Tirumala, Devarapalli and Nallajerla. Now, Rajamahendravaram has an airport.
Fill up vacant posts in village secretariats: CM to officials
After launching the AP Seva Portal, the Chief Minister reviewed the functioning of the village/ward secretariat department. He directed officials to focus on filling up of vacant posts in village/ward secretariats. The secretariats should procure the necessary technology and equipment to offer Aadhaar services by May. Steps should be taken to felicitate the best-performing volunteers on the occasion of Ugadi.
Uniforms will be provided to village/ward secretariat staff by Ugadi. The technical overhaul of computer systems in village/ward secretariats should be done once a month. Better performance by village/ward secretariats means better services are rendered to the people, he elaborated.
The SOPs should be followed strictly. Most importantly, staff should be available to the people whenever they require, he stressed, while directing the officials to set up a complaint mechanism so that people can lodge complaints in case of any corruption in the functioning of secretariat staff. There should be more coordination, cohesion and synergy between the government and village/ward secretariats.