West Prakasam should be made Markapuram district

Ongole: Telugu Desam and YSR Congress Party leaders at last found a common point to work on and demand the government for its realisation. Though the YSRCP leaders are thanking Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the reorganisation of districts and forming new districts, they are also joining the voices of TDP, Janasena and BJP leaders demanding the government to announce Markapuram district and make changes in Bapatla and Nellore districts.

TDP MLAs Yeluri Sambasiva Rao, Gottipati Ravikumar and Dola Balaveeranjaneya Swamy wrote a letter to the Chief Minister to put political gains aside in the division of the districts but consider the convenience to the public. They listed the advantages of making Markapuram a new district with Darsi, Markapuram, Yerragondapalem, Giddalur and Kanigiri Assembly constituencies, and continuing Adddanki and Kandukur Assembly constituencies in Prakasam district than including them in Bapatla and Nellore districts respectively.

They quoted the backwardness, distance from the district headquarters and giving the advantage of the district level officers to reside and focus in the western area as the forces to help its development in future.

Kanigiri former MLA and TDP in-charge Dr Mukku Ugranarasimha Reddy has organised a massive rally in Kanigiri on Sunday, protesting by sitting on knees in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue and submitted a representation to the statue. Former MLA and TDP in-charge for Markapuram Kandula Narayana Reddy, Giddalur in-charge Muthumula Ashok Reddy, Yerragondapalem in-charge Guduri Erixion Babu and other west region leaders from the political, students and employees organisations chalked out an action plan for a month, starting with submitting a representation to the District Collector on Monday.

YSRCP senior leader from Prakasam district Peddireddy Jayaprakash Reddy and others also demanded the government to announce Markapuram district, at least now as the demand is in existence for more than 50 years. As Veligonda project is about to complete, and with the promises of medical college, super specialty hospital being realised, Jayaprakash Reddy requested the government to consider the age-old demand of the Markapuram district to help the people develop with others.

Meanwhile, YSRCP Addanki Assembly in-charge and SAPNET chairman Bachina Krishna Chaitanya and MPPs, ZPTCs, MPTCs and other leaders met Minister for Energy, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and District Collector Pravin Kumar and submitted a representation requesting them to continue Addanki Assembly constituency in Prakasam district. They explained that Addanki has good connectivity and is just 35 km away from Ongole when compared to the 100 km to the proposed headquarters of new Bapatla district. They requested them to consider the request of Addanki denizens from all walks of life and take a favourable decision.

On the other hand, Kandukur leaders are asking the authorities to let the Assembly constituency continue in Prakasam district. They are quoting that the distance from Kandukur to Ongole is less than 50 per cent of the distance to Nellore, and they have better opportunities in Prakasam than in Nellore.