Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that the previous government’s unscientific process in forming new districts in the state had led to regional imbalances and failed to reflect the aspirations of the people.

Chairing a high-level review at the Secretariat with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and members of the Cabinet sub-committee, Naidu directed that the ongoing district reorganisation exercise should be aligned with the future re-delimitation of Assembly constituencies and grounded in administrative efficiency.

The Chief Minister stressed that the reorganisation must “correct past mistakes” and ensure that new administrative boundaries bring governance closer to people instead of creating fresh disputes.

He also instructed officials to take up the reorganisation of revenue divisions separately and to study the implications of upcoming projects such as Polavaram before finalising any changes.

The seven-member Cabinet sub-committee, comprising ministers A Satya Prasad, P Narayana, Nadendla Manohar, Y Satya Kumar, V Anitha, N Ramanaidu and BC Janardhan Reddy, presented a preliminary report to the Chief Minister. The report was prepared after extensive consultations with district collectors, local representatives, and the public. Naidu noted that public aspirations, regional balance, and administrative convenience must form the core of the new framework.

During the review, the Chief Minister observed that several issues had emerged from the previous government’s hurried district creation process, leading to confusion in service delivery, uneven development, and local dissatisfaction. He directed the committee to carefully assess the practical difficulties faced in the last two years and to recommend changes that would make governance more decentralised and accessible.

Naidu particularly pointed out that the demand for a separate Markapur district remains unfulfilled and must be studied in detail. He said that after the completion of the Polavaram project, a detailed analysis should be undertaken to determine which revenue wards and constituencies the submerged mandals will belong to, ensuring that displaced communities are not administratively isolated.

The Chief Minister also instructed that all proposals must be vetted for long-term administrative sustainability and political neutrality. He asked ministers to hold further consultations with stakeholders before the next review meeting scheduled within a week. “The new district map of Andhra Pradesh should be forward-looking, people-centric, and practical,” Naidu said.