2 new districts created in state; total rises to 28

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday issued the final notification on district reorganisation, formally creating two new districts, Markapuram and Polavaram, and announcing changes to revenue divisions and mandal boundaries across the state. With this notification, the total number of districts in Andhra Pradesh has risen to 28, and the revised administrative structure will come into force from Wednesday.

According to the notification, Polavaram district has been carved out with Polavaram as its headquarters, while Markapuram district will function with Markapuram as its headquarters. In addition, the government has approved the creation of five new revenue divisions, leading to a reorganisation of several existing revenue divisions and mandals. As part of the restructuring, Nandigama mandal has been shifted from the Palasa revenue division to the Tekkali division. In another significant change, Samarlakota mandal has been moved from the Kakinada revenue division to the Peddapuram division. The notification also included administrative changes such as the restructuring of the Alluri Sitarama Raju district with Paderu as its headquarters and the renaming of Penugonda as Vasavi Penugonda.

The NDA coalition government has also proposed the formation of a new revenue division with Adda Road Junction as its centre in Anakapalli district, along with adjustments to mandal boundaries in the Ambedkar Konaseema district. Officials said these measures are aimed at streamlining governance and reducing administrative bottlenecks at the local level.

Clarifying the rationale behind the move, the government said the reorganisation was undertaken to improve administrative efficiency and ensure better delivery of civic and revenue services in both rural and urban areas. Smaller administrative units, it said, would enable quicker decision-making, closer monitoring of development programmes and easier access to government services for citizens.

The notification stated that all concerned departments, local bodies and officials must realign their administrative functions in accordance with the revised district, division and mandal boundaries from Wednesday. Necessary adjustments in records, jurisdiction and service-delivery mechanisms are to be carried out without delay.

The government expressed confidence that the creation of new districts and revenue divisions would lead to faster administration, improved coordination among departments and more effective utilisation of resources, ultimately contributing to balanced regional development across Andhra Pradesh.