CHAPTER XXVII Epilogue (iii) REORGANISATION OF INDIAN STATES: MY PROPOSITION

CHAPTER XXVII

Epilogue (iii)

Reorganisation of Indian States:

My Proposition

            On the basis of my of organisational tours of different parts of our holy motherland since 1977, I hereby propose the reorganisation of the Indian states on the basis of viability, geography, climatic conditions, socio-economic status, security of the nation and the language/s for each state as the medium of instruction as well as administration.

 Refuting someone opposing Telangana, my letter in the TOI, Bangalore was pulished on 26.8.2006, “I feel like astronomical debate on Pluto, etc. “A State should be formed with sufficient mass (area as well as population) for its self-sustenance to overcome rigid socio-economic as well as linguistic forces so that it assumes nearly a well defined cultural shape. I feel the mass of Indian states should be 2.5 to 5 per cent of area and or population- needing thereby smaller states and UTs to be merged and bigger states to be shelved for optimal political potential. Mithila, Vidarbha, Purvanchal, Bundelkhand are equally fit cases like Telangana which needs serious considerations.”

The basis of this reorganisation of Indian states is population and or area, which should be usually 2.5-5% of the country. The state capitals have been chosen to decongest the already heavily polluted metros as well as bigger cities.

            As suggested by a Marathi fellow-passenger from Belgaum,

I also propose the new National Capital near Jabalpur, on the banks of the holy Narmada. Apart from the point of national security, it is almost the central place of our country (in past, when Bharat was from Afghanistan to Burma, Delhi was the central place and Delhi is extremely cold, hot and also polluted due to overcrowding).

            The new National Capital need not be in a big city, Washington DC, Bonn, Berne, etc. ... are not metropolis or megalopolis. Also  state capitals should not ideally be more than five hours run by road from any place of the state to avoid tension of overnight journey and stay which generates many evils like corruption for the official work.

            The buildings of old capitals can be used for hospitals, schools, other educational, social and cultural institutions, etc. Mahatma Gandhi himself had suggested that Viceregal Hall (Rashtrapati Bhawan) be converted into a hospital. Modest, computerised, small capitals with simplicity will be ideal for the cyber-generations.

  

Proposed States and their capitals with population and areas in the percentage of our country, Bharat as well population density / sq. km.:

  Proposed State                    Capital                       Area      Population    Density

1.   Jammu-Kashmir-LaddakhSrinagar,Jammu            6.76             0.98              45

2.   Punjab                               Chandigarh                  1.53             2.46             499

3.   Kendriya Pradesh              Delhi                            3.08             3.99             404

4.   Harit Pradesh                    Kannauj                        1.80             3.84             664

5.   Uttaranchal                        Dehra Dun                   2.59             3.58             379

6.   Avadh                               Lucknow                      2.10             4.66             694

7.   Vindhya-Bundelkhand      Jhansi                           3.85             2.66             221

8.   Purvanchal                        Jaunpur                        1.66             4.12             776

9.   Bihar                                 Patna                            1.40             3.79             847

10. Mithila                              Barauni                        1.70             4.61             849

11. Udayachal                         Bongaigaon                  1.57             3.20             636

12. Brahmputra                       Jorhat                           3.55             1.39             113

13. Barak                                 Shillong                       3.21             1.44             139

14. Bang Pradesh                    Kharagpur                    2.35             6.41             854

15. Jharkhand                          Jamshedpur                  3.58             3.14             273

16. Utkal                                 Bhubaneshwar             3.27             2.73             260

17. Andhra                              Vijaywada                    3.13             2.78             277

18. Telangana- Rayalseema     Hyderabad                   5.54             4.30             242

19. Chhattisgarh                      Raipur                          4.11             2.03             154

20. Vidarbh                             Nagpur                         2.70             2.01             232

21. Mahakaushal                     Jabalpur                       2.78             1.51             172

22. Madhya Bharat                 Bhopal                         3.73             2.21             183

23. Rajputana                          Jaipur                           3.33             2.66             249

24. Mewar                              Udaipur                        2.44             1.38             176

25. Maru Pradesh                   Jodhpur                        4.99             1.46              91

26. Saurashtra-Kachchh          Rajkot                          3.35             1.46             136

27. Gujarat                              Gandhinagar                2.63             3.50             415

28. Paschim Maharashtra        Lonavala                      2.94             4.74             502

29. Purva Maharashtra            Aurangabad                 3.88             2.94             236

30. Uttar Karnataka                 Hubli                            3.57             2.54             222

31. Dakshin Karnataka            Mysore                        2.20             2.52             357

32. Kerala                                Kochi                           1.12             3.05             849

33. Vada Tamizhgam              Chidambaram               1.80             3.05             529

34. Then Tamizhgam              Madurai                       2.38             3.08             404

 (All 34 States in India          Jabalpur                    98.27          100.22           312)

N.B.1. The population (2001Census) 1,02,70,15,247 and area 3,28,7,263 km2 of Bharat are in the close approximation to the total percentage shown above.

2.Density- wise Bang Pradesh, Kerala, Mithila and Bihar are on the top.

3. The Map given on third cover page is not to  scale.

4. The above proposition was first released in the Maithili Sandesh on 26.10.1996 Bulletin No.8  on the occasion of the all India conference of the working journalists at Ranchi. Movement for at least three States (Maru Pradesh, Uttar Karnataka and Vada Tamizhgam i.e. North Tamil Nadu) first proposed by me has already started which vindicates my hypothesis.     

                                  

Proposition for the reorganisation of the States of Bharat  including the area (existing States and Union Territories with their districts):

1.      Jammu-Kashmir-Laddakh=Jammu & Kashmir.

2.      Punjab = Punjab + Chandigarh.

3.      Kendriya Pradesh = Himachal Pradesh + Haryana + Delhi.             

4.      Harit Pradesh = U.P.’s - Shahajahanpur, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Auraiya, Etawah, Mainpuri, Etah, Firozabad, Agra, Mathura, Mahamaya Nagar (Hathras), Aligarh, Bulandshahar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat, Meerut.

5.      Uttaranchal =Uttaranchal +

         U.P.’s—Saharnpur, Mujaffarnagar, Bijnor, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Moradabad, Badaun, Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur- Kheri.     

6.      Avadh = U.P.’s—Balrampur, Gonda, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur, Chhatrapati Sahuji Mahraj Nagar, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Kanpur (Nagar), Kanpur (Dehtat), Unnao, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Bara Banki, Sitapur, Bahraich, Sravasti.

7.      Vindhya-Bundelkhand = U.P.’s—Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakut

         M.P.’s—Sidhi, Rewa, Satna, Panna, Damoh,Sagar,  Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Datia, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind.

8.      Purvanchal = U.P.’s—Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Siddharth Nagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria,Maunath Bhanjan, Ballia, Ghazipur.

9.      Bihar = Bihar’s—Purbi Champaran, Paschimi Champran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Patna, Jahanabad.

  

10.    Mithila = Bihar’s—Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Banka, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnea, Kishanganj, Arariya, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhepura

         +Jharkhand’s—Sahibganj, Godda and Maithili speaking north- western area of Dumka, and Deoghar.

11.    Udayachal = Assam’s—north of Brahmputra on the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh i.e. Sonitpur, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri

         + West Bengal’s—Koch Bihar, Jalpaiguri, Darjiling, Uttar Dinajpur, Maldah

         + Sikkim.

12.    Brahmputra = Arunachal Pradesh

         + Assam’s— Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon, Marigaon, Kamrup, Goalpara.

13.    Barak = Assam’s—Hailakandi, Karimganj, Cachar, N.C. Hills, Karbi Anglong

         + Nagaland

         + Manipur

         + Mizoram

         + Tripura

         + Meghalaya.

14.    Bang Pradesh = West Bengal’s—Kolkata, Hugli, Barddhaman, Nadia, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Puruliya, Medinipur, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Paganas

         + Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

15.    Jharkhand  = Jharkhand’s—Pakur, Dumka (excluding north-western Maithili speaking area), Jamtara, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Giridih, Hazaribagh, Kodarma, Chatra,  Palamu, Garhwa,Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Ranchi, West Singhbhum,Saraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum

         + Orissa’s—Mayurbhanj, Kendujhargarh, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh.

  

16.    Utkal = Orissa’s—Dhenkanal, Angul, Kandhamal, Sonpur, Balangir, Naupada, Kalahandi, Boudh, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Baleshwar.

17.    Andhra=A.P.’s—Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vishakhapatanam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore

         + Pondicherry’s —Yanam.

18.    Telengana -Rayalseema - = A.P.’s -Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Hyderabad, Rangareddi, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Anantapur, Cuddapah, Chittoor.

19.    Chhattisgarh = Chhattisgarh.

20.    Vidarbh = Maharashtra’s — Buldana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Nagpur, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Washim.

21.    Mahakaushal = M.P.’s — Betul, Hoshangabad, Chindwara, Narsimhapur, Jabalpur, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol, Dindori, Mandla, Seoni, Balaghat.

22.    Madhya Bharat = M.P.’s — Nimach, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Jhabua, Dhar, Barwani, West Nimar, East Nimar, Harda,  Dewas, Sehore, Raisen, Bhopal, Vidisha, Guna, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ujjain, Indore.

23.    Rajputana = Rajsthan’s — Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Tonk, Ajmer, Jaipur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dhaulpur, Bharatpur, Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Sikar.

24.    Mewar = Rajsthan’s—Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Chittaurgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand, Pali, Sirohi, Jalore.

25.    Maru Pradesh = Rajasthan’s — Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu, Nagaur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer.

26.    Saurashtra - Kachchh = Gujarat’s -Kachchh, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Junagadh, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot

         + Daman and Dieu’s — Dieu.

27.    Gujarat = Dadra and Nagar Haveli

         + Daman and Diu’s-Daman

         + Gurjarat’s — Valsad, Navsari, The Dangs, Surat, Bharuch, Narmada, Vadodara, Dabol, Panchmahals, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Gandhinagar, Ahmadabad, Kheda, Anand.

28.    Paschim Maharashtra = Maharashtra’s — Nashik, Thane, Greater Mumbai, Mumbai suburban, Raigarh, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune

         + Goa

         + Karnataka’s — Belgaum’s northern Marathi speaking parts.

29.    Purva Maharashra = Maharashtra’s — Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Ahmadnagar, Solapur, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Jalna, Beed.

30.    Uttar Karantaka = Karnataka’s — Shimoga, Uttar Kannad, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Koppal, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Belgaum’s Kannada speaking area.

31.    Dakshina Karnataka = Karnataka’s  — Chamrajnagar, Mysore, Mandya, Bangalore (Rural), Bangalore (Urban), Kolar, Tumkur, Hassan, Chikmaglur, Udupi, Dakshin Kannad, Kodagu

         + Kerala’s - Kasargod’s Kannada speaking area.

32.    Kerala = Kerala’s all area except Kasargod’s Kannada speaking area

         + Pondicherry’s — Mahe

         + Lakshdweep.

33.    Vada Tamizhagam = Tamil Nadu’s — Thiuvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Villupuram, Cuddalore

         + Pondicherry’s — Pondicherry.

34.    Then Tamizhagam = Tamil Nadu’s — Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Theni, Madurai, Virudnagar, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Thuththukudi, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Pudukkottai, Karur, Thiruchchirappalli, Permabalur, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagappattianam

         + Pondicherry’s  - Karaikal.

N.B. 1.            Jammu & Kashmir’s at present ‘N. A.’ (not available) areas (as sometimes shown in the GOI’s Surveyor-General’s official maps) should be shown as illegally occupied by Pakistan and China and every endeavor should be made to get back it as soon as possible since it is the cephalic part of our holy motherland-Bharatmata. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution should be abolished.

2.         Many newer states and districts have been created and are being carved out from the older ones in several states. I could get reference of a district map of 1981 and the Census reports of 2001. Yet, many changes may be out of my notice, which should be interpreted as per local understanding.

3.         Some of the proposed new states are made of the parts from two or more existing States/Union Territories, which may be made as separate district/s or division/s with more functional autonomy for a stipulated period of some 15-25 years.

            These and any other suggestion for changes and comments may kindly be sent to the author by e-mail on dhanakarthakur@rediffmail.com or the address given on page (ii). 

            I request you all for the wider publicity of my ideas through print /electronic media and other channels so that it comes to the attention of our opinion and policy-makers.