In a last-minute decision, the State government has agreed to change the name of the newly-formed ‘Sri Balaji’ district to Tirupati, heeding local sentiments.
From the time the first notification was issued indicating that the new district would be named ‘Sri Balaji’, suggestions and objections in the form of representations were sent to the government urging that the district retain the name of ‘Tirupati’. While hopes among the residents of a favourable outcome were low, given the general reluctance witnessed with regard to similar appeals received from across the State, the decision to name the district as Tirupati came as a pleasant surprise.
Using his Twitter handle, Member of Parliament Maddila Gurumoorthy conveyed his thanks to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Expressing gratitude, Mr. Gurumoorthy said that the aspirations of the people in the Tirupati Parliamentary segment had been fulfilled. “I wish our #TirupatiDistrict would flourish in unprecedented ways across all spheres of development,” he tweeted
Congress leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy also appreciated the government for taking people’s aspirations into account. ‘Tirupati is a colloquial word used to refer to this place. The word ‘Tiru’ and ‘Pati’ refer to Goddess Lakshmi and Sri Venkateswara and as such, the name symbolises prosperity,” he said.
At the helm
While Chittoor Collector M. Hari Narayanan will continue to retain his post, Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) Commissioner K. Venkatramana Reddy has been posted as the Collector of Tirupati district. MCT Commissioner P.S. Girisha will take charge is Collector of the newly-carved Annamayya district headquartered at Rayachoti, and T.S. Chetan, Joint Collector of Prakasam district, has been posted as Mr. Girish’a replacement at MCT.
Mr. Reddy and Mr. Girisha formally called on Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy, who is traditionally the senior-most bureaucrat posted in the temple city. Mr. Girisha, who efficiently executed the smart city development work during his stint, was greeted by MLA B. Karunakar Reddy and Mayor R. Sireesha on his transfer.
Meanwhile, Padmavathi Nilayam, the transit Collectorate building, has been thoroughly refurbished to house the chambers for the Collector and Joint Collectors. A video-conference hall has been prepared and arrangements made to house other departments.
