In pursuit of their demand for formation of an Adivasi district with Bhadrachalam as its headquarters, scores of activists of Girijana Samkshema Parishath (GSP) took out a march here on Thursday to drum up support for their ongoing movement.
Adivasis from far flung areas in Bhadrachalam Agency marched through the main thoroughfares in the town as part of a rally held here to press for their demand.
They staged a demonstration at the Dharna Chowk in an effort to highlight their long standing demand for an Adivasi district.
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Addressing the demonstrators, the GSP State convener Sonde Veeraiah said there has been a consistent demand for carving out an Adivasi district from Adivasis of Bhadrachalam Agency.
Bhadrachalam town forms the nucleus of the vast tribal hinterland and it is also the headquarters of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency. It is the natural choice for becoming a district headquarters from the view point of thousands of Adivasis living in the vast Agency area, he remarked.
He said Bhadrachalam deserves to be made an Adivasi district by bringing all the five ST reserved Assembly constituencies and 24 tribal sub-plan mandals in the district under its jurisdiction. Such a move will help uphold the constitutional rights of Adivasis, he asserted.
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Mr. Veeraiah said Kothagudem is not the right choice for a district headquarters from the environmental point of view considering the extensive coal mining operations in the coal hub.
The GSP leaders submitted a memorandum to the district authorities urging them to forward their representation for Adivasi district to the high level committee constituted by the State government for formation of new districts in Telangana State.