Cutting across party lines, activists organised relay fast at Markapur and Yerragondapalem on Sunday, demanding the carving out of Markapur-headquartered district out of the existing Prakasam district.
Thousands of medical shop owners and rural medical practitioners took out a procession from the Clock Centre to the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer raising slogans in support of their demand.
Leading the protest, Markapur District Sadhana Samiti convener Sk. Saida faulted the ruling YSRCP legislators from western Prakasam, as also Education Minister A. Suresh, who represents Yerragondapalem constituency in the Assembly, for remaining “indifferent” to the “popular demand” to facilitate speedier development of the backward western parts of the district.
“We will continue our struggle till the new district, comprising the Assembly segments of Kanigiri, Darsi, Yerragondapalem, Giddalur and Markapur, is achieved,” asserted former MLA of Markapur K. Narayana Reddy.
Relay fast
In Yerragondapalem, the protesters, who included a large number of teachers and lecturers from private educational institutions, staged a relay hunger strike for the seventh day to stress the need for bifurcation of the Prakasam district.
Ongole, being 120 km to 150 km away from most parts of western Prakasam, was inaccessible to the people living in the far-flung areas, said former Leather Industries Development Corporation chairman Erickson Babu.
In Addanki, CPI(M) eastern Prakasam district unit secretary P. Anjaneyulu joined the protest against the proposed merger of the Addanki Assembly segment with Baptala-headquartered district.
Conceding the popular demand, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should retain Addanki, which was only 50 km away from Ongole, with truncated Prakasam district.
In Kandukur, the protesters, led by former MLA Divi Sivaram, urged the government not to merge Kandukur Assembly segment with Nellore district.
