Telangana to regain 5 merged panchayats from AP

Bhadrachalam (Khammam): It seems that decks have been cleared to bring back five panchayats that went to Andhra Pradesh during the transfer of seven submergence mandals from Telangana after the State bifurcation. It might be noted here that President Pranab Mukherjee had promulgated an Ordinance on May 29, 2014, on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet, for transfer of 136 villages, 211 hamlets and seven mandals of Khammam district to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh.

The transfer of villages was not part of the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014 approved by Parliament in the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha. Since then, there was an outcry in the Bhadrachalam Agency that the merger of all seven mandals of Khammam district with AP was made without a scientific study and geographical knowledge of the region.

To ensure a hassle-free passage for the construction of the Polavaram project, the Centre then went with the merger of all seven mandals exempting 12 villages of Burgampadu mandal to ensure territorial connectivity between temple town of Bhadrachalam and other parts of Telangana.

But the lawmakers then didn’t give much thought to ensure territorial connectivity between temple town and other mandals - Dummugudem, Cherla, Venkatapuram and Wajedu - of Khammam district. There are three panchayats - Yatapaka, Kannayigudem and Pichukalapadu that went to AP – between Bhadrachalam and Dummugudem mandal.

The Telangana government, which has been pursuing the issue with the Centre to retain these panchayats, reportedly got ‘no objection’ from the AP government. This apart, the Telangana government also wants two more panchayats - Purushothamapatnam and Gundala panchayats located en route to Kunavaram mandal (now in AP).

With 900 acres of Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple land fall under Purushothamapatnam and some colonies of Gundala are already an integral part of Bhadrachalam town, the government also wanted to retain these panchayats to avoid administrative problems.

Moreover, the people living in these panchayats have been demanding their villages be retained in Telangana ever since the merger took place in May 2014. If retained in Telangana, these people will be spared from travelling more than 250 km to reach their district headquarters.

Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageswar Rao said: “The State government had discussed about retaining these panchayats with the Centre and AP. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to announce this good news when he presents pattu vastrams and mutyala talambralu on behalf the State government on April 15, Sri Rama Navami.”