A large number of people in Mentada mandal have been staging protests against the merger of the mandal with the proposed Manyam district headquartered at Parvatipuram.
The mandal now in Vizianagaram district is part of the Saluru Assembly constituency which is proposed to be brought under Manyam district.
About 10,000 people directly participated in rallies in Mentada town on Wednesday and Thursday opposing the merger of the mandal with Parvatipuram, which is almost 90 km away. People from nearby villages also took part in the protest. They said that Vizianagaram was only 35 km away from their mandal headquarters and convenient for them to reach for official needs.
Joint Action Committee leaders Reddi Sanyasi Naidu, Sarika Eswara Rao and Chaluru Venkata Rao told the media that future generations would face hardships if the government failed to understand the sentiments and requirements of the people. “We don’t have any geographical and administrative connectivity with Parvatipuram. Moreover, people living in remote areas of the mandal cannot travel all the way to Parvatipuram in the absence of proper transport facility. That is why we oppose the proposal,” said Mr. Reddi Sanyasi Naidu, chairman of JAC.
