In tune with the State government’s decision to reorganise and increase the number of the districts from 13 to 26, the newly carved out ones are set to come into being post Ugadi.
The district administrations, which have been tasked with identifying the buildings and allocating the staff, are said to have completed the process. The physical transfer of staff and officers is awaited to bring the new districts into operation.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had decided to reorganise the districts to decentralise the administration in tune with his objective of “taking the administration closer to the people.”
Bifurcation of larger districts for administrative purposes had first been initiated by the Colonial rulers. They had first created the Northern Circars District that comprised Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari, and Krishna districts.
These districts now form part of the North Coastal region or districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Later, they had created the Ceded Districts, comprising the regions ceded to the British by the Nizam of Deccan.
At present, these districts are Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur, which are part of the Rayalaseema region.
And finally, the Colonial rulers had carved out the Carnatic Districts, which were territories taken over by them from the Nawab of Carnatic.
At present, they comprise Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts, says history chronicler from Visakhapatnam Edward Paul.
The district of Visakhapatnam had been carved out from the Northern Circars in 1802, and L.G.K. Murray was its first Collector.
Visakhapatnam district was then the biggest in the country, with the areas of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram coming under its fold.
Post Independence, it was reorganised further, carving out Srikakulam district in 1950 and Vizianagaram in 1979.
Now, as per the new G.O., Visakhapatnam district has further been bifurcated into Anakapalle and Alluri Sitaramaraju districts.
Smaller units
Having smaller administrative units is good for decentralised development. And it gives an advantage to the people to get closer to the administration.
But the concept of transparency, people-oriented development and larger public good can be seen only over a period of time, says former bureaucrat E.A.S. Sarma.
Though creation of smaller districts has been accepted by all, a few social activists express fears over the tribal districts that are being exclusively created – Alluri Sitaramaraju district and Manyam district.
There is going to be an influx of non-tribals in the tribal region, and this may prove to be disastrous for the tribal people if the State government does not come out with well-defined safeguards, says a former District Collector.
Though decentralisation and devolution of power are the prime goals, we have not seen the State government respecting the laws enshrined in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution in its true letter and spirit. If this continues, then bifurcation will only be a farcical exercise, says Mr. Sarma.
Acts such as Forest Rights Act and Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or for that matter the Samata judgment have never been given due respect by any government when it comes to taking up mining activity or tourism projects, opines V.S. Krishna of the Human Rights Forum (HRF).
It is rare to see the stakeholders, who are primarily tribal people, being considered for a transparent and free public hearing before a project or mining activity is taken up. Panchayats are constitutional bodies, and they should be given the due respect, he says.
We hope the Chief Minister walks the talk and does not turn it into a cosmetic exercise, as the ultimate goal is to reach out to the poor and the common man through transparency, says Mr. Sarma.
Temporary postings
Another area of concern is filling the posts. The government has said the postings will be temporary in nature and will be reviewed after six months. To begin with, juniors, or the concept of ‘reverse seniority’, has been used to address the allocation.
The departments have been asked to fill the posts with juniors on a temporary basis. As far the Revenue Department is concerned, the staff at the revenue divisions have been asked to hold the fort till a permanent arrangement is in place, says K. Eswar Rao of the APNGO Association.
It will take at least six months to settle down, and these teething problems are on the expected line, he adds.
