Chidambaram for consultation process on Telangana

With government being in a fix over Telangana, Home Minister P Chidambaram today appealed to all sections to allow consultation process on the statehood issue to reach its logical conclusion.

"The Government would like to make an earnest appeal to all sections of the people in Andhra Pradesh that they should allow the consultation process to reach its logical conclusion," he said in a statement on a Calling Attention motion in the Lok Sabha on creation of a separate Telangana state.

He said the Centre had asked all major political parties to consider the report of a five-member committee chaired by Justice (Retd) B N Srikrishna on the Telangana issue and form an opinion in this regard. "The consultation process with various political parties of Andhra Pradesh is continuing.

A suitable decision will be taken in the light of these discussions," Chidambaram said. He said the Centre was keeping a close watch on the political developments as well as the law and order situation
in the state.

Chidambaram said the Srikrishna Committee had listed six solutions or possible options, including maintaining status quo, bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana, with Hyderabad as a Union Territory, and the two states developing their own capitals in due course.

The other options are bifurcation of the state into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana; bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a separate Union Territory.

This Union Territory will have geographical linkage and contiguity via Nalgonda district in the south-east Guntur in coastal Andhra and via Mahboobnagar district in the south to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema, he said quoting the report.

Another option is bifurcating the state into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.

The final option is keeping the state united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/ Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region -- creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has requested the Centre to delete paragraph 14 (f) of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order of 1975, Chidambaram said. The deletion of the paragraph implies that Hyderabad city would be a 'free zone' for recruitment to the police.

The Centre decided to delete the clause and had made an appropriate recommendation to the President.

Chidambaram said the Srikrishna Committee had listed six solutions or possible options, including maintaining status quo, bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana, with Hyderabad as a Union Territory, and the two states developing their own capitals in due course.

The other options are bifurcation of the state into
Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana; bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged
Hyderabad metropolis as a separate Union Territory.

This Union Territory will have geographical linkage and contiguity via Nalgonda district in the south-east Guntur in coastal Andhra and via Mahboobnagar district in the south to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema, he said quoting the report.

Another option is bifurcating the state into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.

The final option is keeping the state united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/ Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region -- creation of a
statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has requested the Centre to delete paragraph 14 (f) of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order of 1975, Chidambaram said.

The deletion of the paragraph implies that Hyderabad city would be a 'free zone' for recruitment to the police. The Centre decided to delete the clause and had made an appropriate recommendation to the President.