SRIKAKULAM: Fresh disputes have surfaced over the reorganisation of districts, with strong demands emerging from residents of the Rajam and Palakonda Assembly segments for their inclusion in the existing Srikakulam district.
The issue has intensified following the proposed creation of a new district with Palasa as its headquarters.
At present, Srikakulam district comprises eight Assembly segments, Itchapuram, Palasa, Tekkali, Pathapatnam, Narasannapeta, Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam and Etcherla, covering a total of 30 mandals.
During the 2022 district reorganisation carried out by the then YSRCP government, the Palakonda segment was merged with the newly formed Parvathipuram Manyam district, while Rajam was attached to Vizianagaram district. This decision has remained contentious.
Residents of Rajam, Regidi, Vangara and Santhakaviti mandals under the Rajam segment argue that their administrative needs would be better served under Srikakulam, as the district headquarters is only 35 km away, compared to 75 km from Vizianagaram and 70 km from Bobbili, the revenue divisional headquarters.
Similarly, the Palakonda Assembly segment, which includes the mandals of Palakonda, Veeragattam, Seethampeta and Bhamini, has also expressed discontent. Locals point out that they share deep-rooted historical and cultural ties with Srikakulam for over 75 years, and that the four mandals are all located within 50 km of the Srikakulam district headquarters. They argue that inclusion in Parvathipuram Manyam has disrupted their longstanding association with Srikakulam.
Now, with the government’s proposal to carve out a new Palasa district, comprising the Itchapuram, Palasa, Tekkali and Pathapatnam segments, the demand to reunite Rajam and Palakonda with Srikakulam has gathered fresh momentum.
Residents insist that both constituencies are geographically, culturally and socially more aligned with Srikakulam than with Vizianagaram or Parvathipuram Manyam.
In 2022, when the YSRCP government undertook the reorganisation, residents of both Rajam and Palakonda had opposed their exclusion from Srikakulam. They continue to view the decision as unjust and are now stepping up their campaign through social media platforms.
Locals argue that the demand for realignment is not merely a matter of administrative convenience, but also of cultural identity, historical continuity and accessibility. With public sentiment growing stronger, the district reorganisation debate has once again become a flashpoint in north coastal Andhra Pradesh.