Is the Congress high command seriously considering the proposal to bring key administrative subjects of Hyderabad such as law and order, land revenue, urban development and education under Central control while dividing the State? Is it of the opinion that this is the only solution to break the impasse?
According to reliable sources, the Union Home Ministry is fine-tuning the draft note on Telangana, which is likely to be placed before the Union Cabinet once Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his visit to the US.
The following are the proposals on Hyderabad likely to be incorporated in the draft note on Telangana:
a) GHMC limits will be under Central control
b) Law & order, education, land revenue and urban development will be looked after by the Centre. (Hyderabad will not be a Union Territory in the real sense of the term).
c) Hyderabad will be permanent capital of Telangana. The city will act as a temporary capital of the residuary state of AP for 10 years.
d) The jurisdiction of police commissioner of Hyderabad will be extended to cover the entire GHMC. In fact, as of now the police commissionerate of Hyderabad city has been divided between Hyderabad and Cyberabad. It remains to be seen whether both the commissionerates will be merged.
Sources said just as the Congress high command is bulldozing its Seemandhra leaders to accept the decision to divide the State, it might also force its Telangana leaders to accept its proposals on Hyderabad, however unpalatable. Some of the top Congress leaders are said to be in touch with the TRS leadership too to convince them of the need to agree to its proposals.
Interestingly, they are also in touch with their BJP counterparts almost on a regular basis in the process of finalising the status of Hyderabad. Contrary to doubts expressed earlier over the BJP’s commitment of backing the Telangana bill once it is introduced in Parliament, highly-placed sources told Express the Congress leadership has already taken the BJP on board to ensure that the bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament without a hitch.
The Centre is also learnt to be mulling over announcing a new capital for the residuary state of AP at the earliest in order to appease the agitating people of the region. Soon after placing the T note before the Cabinet, the Centre might hold talks with Seemandhra leaders to consider Visakhapatnam, the place between Vijayawada and Guntur and Ongole for finalising the capital of the new Andhra state, sources said.
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