Bhadrachalam, June 17, 2013: The sub-Collector’s office in Bhadrachalam is being flooded with suggestions through e-mail, postal and other modes of communication from all over India and abroad over the proposal to accord temple city status to Bhadrachalam, the abode of Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy.

The revenue authorities concerned have initiated an exercise a few days ago to elicit public opinion on the proposal to confer temple city status to Bhadrachalam, presently a major gram panchayat. The historical temple town has a population of nearly 70,000.

The decision to obtain public opinion over the long-pending proposal came at a time when the gram panchayat elections are round the corner. Bhadrachalam was upgraded as a township in the past. However, it again reverted to major gram panchayat following the court orders, sources said. Some aggrieved persons then approached the court opposing the move by citing “infringement” of tribal laws. The latest proposal to give the temple city status to Bhadrachalam has gained prominence in the backdrop of the fast-paced growth of the town, which is also the revenue division headquarters and hub of the tribal heartland of the vast Bhadrachalam agency.

The revenue authorities are planning to send a detailed report based on the public opinion after examining all the legal aspects into consideration over the temple city proposal to the government soon.

The public opinions will be collected up to June 20, sources said.

It appears to be a rhetoric exercise as the government did not specify the exact modalities of the proposal in writing, said the Bhadrachalam former MLA Sunnam Rajaiah. We will react only after the government announces its actual plan of action in this regard, he said deploring that the long pending demand for second bridge across the Godavari near the temple town has remained a distant dream till date.

When contacted, Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector Narayana Bharath Gupta said that he had received numerous mails from people across India and all over the world expressing their opinions on the said proposal.

Suggestions and recommendations are invited from the public in this regard, he said adding that those interested can send their messages to subcollector.bcm@gmail.com or to the office of the sub-Collector, Bhadrachalam, through post.