With barely a week left for formation of new districts, the demand for more units haunts Telangana government as leaders and people from various parts mounted pressure on it to concede the status for their local areas. but the government expressed its resolve to stick to 31 districts, overall.
Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, in a chitchat with media persons on Wednesday, indicated the government’s intention to increase the number of districts to take administration to doorsteps of people.
Though the government has communicated formation of 21 districts in addition to the 10 existing districts, sources said it was believed that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao might concede two more districts to take the tally to 33 which conformed to his obsession with the magic figures of either `6’ or `9’ (two digits adding up to this number).
Having conceded Sircilla, Jangaon and Gadwal as three new districts over and above the 17 already announced, the government is now faced with fresh demands for Bhadrachalam, Devarakonda, Miryalguda, Narayanpet, Ibrahmipatan and Narayankhed. In fact, Narayanpet MLA S. Rajender Reddy sent his resignation letter by fax to Speaker with a rider to accept the same if his constituency was not made a district. A bandh was also organised at Narayanpet under the aegis of all parties led by Mr. Reddy. A final decision on more districts, however, is likely only after a high power committee headed by TRS Parliamentary party leader K. Keshava Rao submitted its report on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has convened a meeting of the Cabinet at 2 PM on Friday where Mr. Rao is expected to formally declare the stand of the government. But, the final notification on reorganisation of districts was reserved for September 11 to coincide with Vijayadasami.
On the second day of its business on Wednesday, the high power committee met leaders and political activists to receive representations. Mr. K.T. Rama Rao was one of them to demand merger of Sircilla and Vemulawada constituencies within Sircilla district. Alampur MLA of Congress S.A. Sampath Kumar demanded renaming of Gadwal as Jogulamba district. The Chief Minister instructed officials at a meeting at his camp office to make changes to revenue divisions and mandals after the report of the committee was received. The agitations over new mandals continued as people of Hatnoor mandal near Sangareddy organised a rasta-roko from 11 AM to 4.30 PM on Sangareddy - Narsapur highway on indications that the mandal was likely to be bifurcated. People of the same mandal in another part organised rasta - roko on Patancheru - Daulatabad highway demanding Chintal Cheruvu as a mandal after breaking up Hatnoor.
