HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Sunday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to transfer five villages in Andhra Pradesh adjoining Bhadrachalam Temple to Telangana, saying they remain geographically and functionally connected to Telangana despite being under Andhra Pradesh administration.
In a letter to Amit Shah, Thummala sought the transfer of Yatapaka, Kannaigudem, Pitchikalapadu, Purushothapatnam and Gundala villages, which currently fall under Andhra Pradesh but lie adjacent to Bhadrachalam town. He requested the Centre to take up the necessary legislative exercise during the remaining session of Parliament.
He said the five gram panchayats, comprising 19 revenue villages, are located in a peculiar geographical setting between two stretches of Telangana territory, while their other boundaries are formed by the Godavari River and reserve forest area. This, he said, has effectively created an administrative enclave and caused avoidable hardship to local residents.
He pointed out that although Bhadrachalam mandal, except Bhadrachalam town, was merged with Andhra Pradesh after State bifurcation, these villages continue to remain naturally linked to Telangana in terms of access and administration.
“If this issue is not resolved at this stage, it may result in prolonged and avoidable injustice to the affected villages and tribal habitations for years to come,” Thummala said in the letter, urging the Union government to examine the matter in a holistic, just and time-bound manner.
The minister said the territorial adjustment made during the implementation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act was broadly linked to submergence concerns arising from the Polavaram Project, but argued that these villages no longer bear any meaningful connection to that rationale.
He added that local residents, predominantly Scheduled Tribes, have repeatedly sought re-merger with Telangana. Thummala also noted that Members of Parliament had raised similar concerns during discussions on the amendment bill related to the reorganisation issue.
He said villagers currently travel 282 km to reach the district headquarters in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, while Bhadrachalam is only 40 km away.