Adivasis feel new districts will weaken them

The creation of new district is likely to split the Adivasis and make them further weak as the Agency areas will be disintegrated. The move may dilute constitutional safe guards to the Adivasis in scheduled areas.

Already, Adivasis are a minority in terms of population when compared to plain area tribals in the Telanagana state. Adivasis were a majority in the United Andhra Pradesh.

Adivasis have started demanding the creation of autonomous councils with Agency areas within the districts.  They are demanding the creation of a new district comprising tribal mandals with the Utnoor headquarters.

The delimitation of Assembly constituencies as part of creation of new district will be a major blow to the Adilabad and they may lose ST Assembly constituencies to general or SC. 

Already people of various parts of the district are agitating and demanding creation of new district with headquarters of Asifabad, Bellampalli, Kagaznagar, Mancherial, Utnoor and also shifting of Adilabad district headquarters to Nirmal for the existing Adilabad district.

It is learnt that some of the people are planning to launch against the creation of new district and keeping the existing district as it is.

Agency mandals Jainoor, Sirpur( U), Tiryani, Narnoor, Asifabad, Kerameri and some parts of Dandepalli may be merged with new district to be created while Utnoor and Indravelli mandals may be merged with the existing Adilabad district.

Some parts of the Khanapur Assembly constituency like Jannaram and Dandepalli may be merged with the existing Adilabad district.

Tribal population of existing Asifabad and Khanapur assembly constituencies may come down and non- tribal’s population may increase. Utnoor and Adilabad Rural Assembly constituencies may be created as part of delimitation.

Due to delimitation of Assembly constituencies, the existing Asifabad and Khanapur constituencies and Adilabad MP Constituency may lose its ST reservation. The Assembly and Parliament constituencies will be changed their reservation based on their pollution figures as part of delimitation. Non-tribals will emerge as majority in the new district, ST assembly constituencies and also in the existing district. 

Former Asifabad MLA and leader of Telangana Adivasis joint action committee Atram Sakku expressed worry over splitting Adivasis as part of creation of new districts and also delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Khammam, Adilabad and Warangal in the state. He said creation of new districts and delimitation of constituencies will further weak Adivasis in the Telangana.