HM’s Statement on Calling Attention Motion on Telengana

Union Home Minister Shri P. Chidamabaram made a statement in Lok Sabha today on the Calling Attention Motion on situation arising out of delay in creation of Telengana State. Following is the text of the statement:

Hon’ble Members are aware of the circumstances under which the Government of India set up a five member Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice (Retd.) B.N. Srikrishna in February 2010. The Committee was requested to hold consultations with all sections of the people and all political parties and groups in Andhra Pradesh to examine the situation in the State of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate State of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh.

2. This Committee submitted its report on December 30, 2010. In its report, the Committee has listed the following six solutions/possible options as the way forward:

(i) Maintaining Status Quo

(ii) 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

(iii) Bifurcation of the State into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana

(iv) 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

(v) Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital

(vi) 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

3. Following the submission of the report, I convened a meeting of all the major political parties represented in the Andhra Pradesh State Legislature on January 6, 2011 and requested them to consider the report of the Justice Srikrishna Committee and form an opinion in this regard.

4. The consultation process with various political parties of the Andhra Pradesh is continuing. A suitable decision will be taken in the light of these discussions. The Government of India is keeping a close watch on the political developments as well as on the law and order situation in the State.

5. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh requested the Government of India to consider the demand to delete paragraph 14(f) of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order 1975. Under paragraph 14(f) of the Order, any post of Police Officer, as defined in section 3 (b) of the Hyderabad City Police Act, 1348 F, is exempted from the purview of aforesaid Order. This implied that Hyderabad City would be a ‘free zone’ for the purpose of recruitment to the police. The deletion of paragraph 14(f) would include Hyderabad city in Zone VI for the purpose of recruitment to the police of the city. The Chief Minister commended the resolution of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly dated March 18, 2010 that supported deletion of paragraph 14(f).

6. After careful consideration, Government has decided to recommend to the President that clause (f) of paragraph 14 of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organization of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 1975 may be deleted subject to the Resolution on the subject earlier passed being re-iterated by the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. The decision of the Government was communicated to the State Government on July 13, 2011 for suitable action.

7. The Chief Minister, vide letter dated August 1, 2011, has informed the Government of India that the earlier resolution of the Legislative Assembly dated March 18, 2010 still holds good and there is no change in the composition of the Legislative Assembly. He has, therefore, requested that a recommendation may be made to the President on the basis of the resolution of March 18, 2010. The matter is under active consideration.

8. 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. Meanwhile, the Government would like to reiterate the appeal issued at the end of the all party meeting on January 6, 2011 that ‘peace, harmony and law and order should be maintained in the State of Andhra Pradesh.’

RS/GK
(Release ID :74000)