GoM to have last sip of Telangana today ahead of bill

Hyderabad: The formation of the new state of Telangana has reached a decisive stage with the Group of Ministers constituted for the purpose of preparing the Draft Bill, meeting on Wednesday to finalise it.

It is expected that on the next day, the Union Cabinet in its scheduled meeting will endorse the Bill and send it to the President for follow-up action.

According to sources, the Group of Ministers has decided on the status of Hyderabad as joint capital city to serve both the Telangana and Seemandhra states, by bringing Law and Order within the GHMC area under the Governor of Telangana state for 10 years.

The GHMC is currently spread over 625 sq. km (922 sq. km if 35 gram panchayats are also going to be included), has 24 Assembly constituencies and five Lok Sabha constituencies — Hyderabad, Secunde-rabad, most parts of Malkajgiri and parts of Chevella and Medak.

For this, a new amendment to Article of 371 will be introduced along with the creation of Telangana state. The Union law ministry seems to have given its opinion that a fresh insertion in Article 371, does not require Constitutional Amendment within the meaning of Article 368 (power of Parliament to amend the Constitution) nor does it require “special majority” to get it passed in either house of Parliament.

Next: Telangana exercise will be over today, says Shinde

T exercise will be over today: Shinde

Hyderabad: The GoM will finalise the exercise on Wednesday, at least to the extent that it will allow the government to send the Bill to the state Assembly and then to Parliament in the ensuing Winter Session.

Significantly, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Tuesday that the Centre is trying to find a solution that will not cause trouble to any region in the state.
He dismissed the suggestion that there was any delay in preparing the report of the GoM. Another member of the GoM Jairam Ramesh hoped that Wednesday’s GoM meeting will be the last one.

Meanwhile, Union ministers from Seemandhra and Telangana regions continue to pull in opposite directions. Seemandhra Union ministers continue to press for Hyderabad as a Union Territory.

Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy who has of late, been leading the discussions on the Telangana side, has categorically stated: “Though there is a mention of 10-year interregnum in the form of Hyderabad as a common capital, I am personally not for it. But since Seemandhra people want it, I have no objection.

But as for the proposal of making Hyderabad as UT, all the Telangana people, parties of Telangana and myself, reject it 100 per cent.”?

He suggested some legal provisions that can help make Hyderabad the common capital for 10 years, without making it a UT. However, Seemandhra Union minister J.D. Seelam said, “Seemandhra people will agree to Telangana if Hyderabad is made a UT.

Congress leaders of Telangana must be broad-minded enough to agree to the proposal of UT.”?In an interesting development, Union minister of state for railways and the lone minister representing the backward Rayalaseema region Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy met Shinde on Tuesday and submitted a fresh charter of demands like including Kurnool and Anantapur districts in Telangana to make it Rayala Telangana or make Kurnool the capital of Seemandhra.

He handed over resolutions passed by 1,700 gram panchayats in Kurnool and Anantapur districts in favour of merging these two districts in Telangana state.