Telangana may have 21 new districts

Hyderabad: Telangana may have 21 new districts instead of the proposed 17 as the state government has agreed to consider the demand for four more districts.

Conceding demands from various regions, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday decided to consider the demands for three districts – Jangaon in existing Warangal district, Sircilla in Karimnagar and Gadwal in Mahabubnagar.

The chief minister directed officials to study the proposal of creating another district in existing Adilabad with Asifabad as the headquarter. Thus Adilabad is proposed to be divided into four districts.

This will take the total number of districts in the country’s youngest state to 31. The new districts will come into existence from Dussehra.

Rao took the decision after consultations with leaders of Adilabad, Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar and Hyderabad.

The government had last month issued draft notification for creating 17 new districts and had sought suggestions from people. With large number of representations being received for additional districts, the government decided to increase the number.

The chief minister accepted the growing demand for creating a district in the existing Karimnagar district with Sircilla as the headquarter. This district will be named as Rajanna.

It was also decided to name proposed Kuttagudem district in existing Khammam district as Bhadradri Kuttagudem.

Following demand from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), an ally of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Rao decided to retain the name of proposed Vikarabad district being carved out of existing Ranga Reddy district.

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had earlier written a letter to the Chief Minister for retaining the name of Vikarabad.

The Chief Minister also decided to retain name of existing Mahabubnagar district. With creation of Gadwal, Mahabubnagar will be divided into four districts.

Jangaon will take the number of total districts to be created in Warangal to five. Karimnagar will be split into four districts, Medak, Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda into three each and Khammam and Nizamabad into two each. Hyderabad district will be retained as it is.

—IANS