Saturday, October 05, 2013

Focus: Which Hyderabad To Be The 'Joint Capital' Of AP?

By Ramesh Reddy / Hyderabad

The big question is which Hyderabad becomes the joint capital? Is it only Hyderabad city proper with its twin city Secunderbad but without its IT enclave Cyberabad and also without many upmarket areas like Madhapur and beyond which fall in Ranga Reddy district ? Or will the joint capital be all of it together that means a whopping area of 625 sq km that defines the limit of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. 
  • Cabinet doesn't detail the Hyderabad area
  • Hyderabad city has extended to take in its folds areas from neighboring districts 
  • As recently as Sept 1, 36 gram panchayats in RR district were merged with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Once formalized, this will take the total GHMC area to nearly 900 sq km  
  • Votaries of Telangana want the area of the joint capital to be limited to the area covered by the jurisdiction of the Khairatabad tahsil - just a few square kms -that includes the secretariat area where all government offices are located 
  • But votaries of united state want the entire Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) area that covers 7228 square kms and extends to five districts, all of them part of Telangana as the capital
  • Shamshabad and the Rajiv Gandhi international airport at present do not come even under the GHMC limits, though a proposal is underway to bring it under the city corporation    
  • GHMC now covers twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, plus 10 municipalities and 8 panchayats in RR district and 2 municipalities in Medak
  • Hyderabad Plus is now in terms of area the second largest city in India after Delhi
GoM to decide assets, boundary of new state
Union finance minister P Chidambaram is likely to chair the Group of Ministers (GoM) that will look into the issues arising out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh like determination of boundary, sharing of assets and river water, among others. 
    
The 10-member GoM will also comprise ministers for law, HRD, water resources, power, urban development, transport and personnel. Home minister Sushil kumar Shinde said the GoM will make its recommendations within six weeks with the Telangana Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session. 
    
According to the terms of reference for the Group of Ministers, the human resource development, urban development, road transport and highways, power, and personnel ministers, along with the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, will be the other members of the high-powered body. 
    
The GoM will determine the boundaries of the new state of Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to electoral constituencies, judicial and statutory bodies and other administrative units. 

It will look into the legal and administrative measures required to ensure that both state governments function efficiently from Hyderabad, which is to be the common capital
for the two states for 10 years. 
    
The GoM will take into account the legal, financial and administrative measures that may be required for transition to a new capital for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. It will also look into the special needs of both states and recommend measures. 
    
The GoM will also study issues related to law and order, safety and security to ensure peace and harmony in the region following the bifurcation. Besides, it will evaluate the long-term internal security implications arising out of the bifurcation and make suitable recommendations. 
    
The GoM will look in to the sharing of river water, irrigation resources and other natural resources (especially coal, oil and gas) by the two states amongst themselves as also with other states. It will also take up the matter of declaration of the Polavaram irrigation works as a national project. 
    
It will look into the issues related to power generation, transmission and distribution between the two states and those arising on account of distribution of assets, public finance, public corporations and liabilities thereof following the bifurcation. 
    
Part of the GoM's brief is related to the distribution of the employees in the subordinate as well as All-India Services between the two states. 
    
It will also analyse the issues arising out of the presidential order under Article 371D of the Constitution (special provisions with respect to the state of Andhra Pradesh) consequent to the bifurcation. It will examine any other matter that may arise on account of the creation of a separate Telangana state and make suitable recommendations within a period of six weeks. 

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