Call to make Amaravati a free zone gets shriller

Visakhapatnam: The demand to make new capital region- Amaravati a ‘free zone’ is gathering momentum. Free zone ensures government jobs in the capital region to people from other regions like North Andhra and Rayalaseema, instead of limiting them to people hailing from the state capital region of Krishna and Guntur districts. The zonal system was in vogue till before the bifurcation of AP and the present government is yet to abolish it.

The Union government had abolished free zone status to Hyderabad when the separate Telangana agitation reached its peak. Under the then six-point formula that regulates all the government recruitments in AP, 70 per cent of the posts are reserved for locals.  The remaining 30 per cent are under the open category where persons irrespective of their domicile status, can compete in recruitment process.

Until August 2011, when the free zone was abolished by the Centre by deleting Clause 14 (f) of the 1975 Presidential Order, which had made Hyderabad a free zone, people from other zones were also eligible for government jobs. “Hyderabad being a capital region was a free zone for long time in undivided Andhra Pradesh. In my opinion, teh same principle should be applied in the new capital region in residuary AP. Amaravati region need to be announced a free zone that will make those belonging to the backward regions like North Andhra and Rayalseema eligible for government jobs in the capital region also,” said CPM state secretariat member Ch Narasinga Rao.

Though the agenda has been fixed for CPM state executive meeting scheduled to be held at Vijayawada on October 15 and 16, Mr Rao said they may raise and discuss free zone issue to bring it to the fore.