With five panchayats in Bheemunipatnam mandal not merged in GVMC lack of contiguity is a stumbling block to take up delimitation of wards.
The State government had issued a GO fixing the number of wards at 81 in GVMC taking the population of 72 wards in the city, Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam and five panchayats into consideration.
However, the Rules for Delimitation of Wards stipulate that the wards should be contiguous.
GVMC had sent proposals earlier with four options to the government for holding elections with contiguity forming sole criteria and in view of the court cases pending. They are: 1) retaining the 72 wards that now form GVMC, 2) excluding Bheemunipatnam, 3) excluding Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam and 4) merging the two municipalities and the panchayats too in the GVMC.
Even as the proposal has been pending, the details of population as sought by the government were sent in 2016 leading to the issue of the GO on fixing of wards.
Dilemma
According to rules, the process of delimitation has to begin from the Northeast i.e, Bheemunipatnam, it was learnt.
Once the City Planning wing of GVMC gets down to delimitation and exhausts the population of Bheemunipatnam it will be up against wall with the five panchayats not forming part of GVMC. Elections were held to Kapuluppada, Chepaluppada, Nidigattu, J V Agraharam and K Nagarapalem panchayats following a court order.
Sources said GVMC will have to address a formal letter at that point of time to the government bringing the problem to its notice. There could be problems even in launching the delimitation exercise.
Alternately, just bringing in one of the five panchayats could ensure contiguity, it was learnt.
It may also merge another panchayat to tide over the issue.
