10.2.14

AP Reorganisation Bill

It’s bonanza time for netas and aspiring netas. Based on the recommendation of the Group of Ministers (GoM), the Union cabinet has agreed to raise the strength of the Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh Assemblies. The number of legislators in Telangana will jump from 119 to 153, an increase of 34 seats, and that of residuary AP from 175 to 225, an increase of 50 segments. However, the delimitation of the assembly constituencies will happen only after the 2014 general elections and number of assembly seats in the two states for the coming polls will remain the same. There will, however, be no change in the number of MPs – both for the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The campaign for increasing the number of assembly seats was launched by some Telangana MLAs and MPs, but Seemandhra politicians are happy that there is a silver lining for them in the division of the state. This proposal was among the ones put forth by the AP assembly to the Centre. In the meeting held on Friday, the GoM endorsed the proposal and it got the nod of the Cabinet the same day.
However, the suggestion to increase the size of the legislative council of Telangana from 40 to 50 members was turned down by the GoM. Of the 90-member AP legislative council, 50 will go to the residuary AP council and 40 will remain with the Telangana council. While A Chakrapani will continue to remain the chairman of the AP council, deputy chairman N Vidyasagar will officiate as the chairman of the Telangana council until a new chairman is elected. All this was agreed to by the GoM and cleared by the cabinet.
But, many of the amendments suggested by the Telangana leaders have been rejected by the GoM. One such suggestion is related to the burden of pension. Telangana MLAs, especially of the TRS, wanted that the pension liability should be fixed on the basis of nativity of the employee who retired. But the GoM said no to the proposal. The suggestion to make nativity as the basis for the distribution of employees between the two states has also been rejected. The GoM felt there was no need for a change in the bill provisions.
The Telangana legislators had also wanted that no part of Bhadrachalam division be transferred to the Seemandhra region. However, the GoM rejected that and, instead, upheld the plea of the Seemandhra lobby headed by chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union ministers that the villages that will be submerged due to the Polavram dam be transferred to East Godavari in residuary AP so that no inter-state disputes occur later.
The GoM also struck down the suggestion made by some Telangana legislators that the tenure of Hyderabad as joint capital be reduced from ten years to three or two years. GoM gives more time to identify new capital
Similarly, the Telangana members’ proposal that the jurisdiction of the joint capital be limited to the Khairatabad revenue mandal and the Seemandhra MLAs proposal that Hyderabad be accorded UT status were rejected.
The GoM also extended the time for the expert panel to zero in on the new capital for residuary AP from 45 days to six months. Almost all the recommendations of governor E S L Narasimhan were rejected. The GoM was not in favour of disbanding the Cyberabad and Hyderabad police commissionarates to make way for a new commissionarate encompassing GHMC limits and also turned down the governor’s proposal that the provision related to his powers be changed to further empower him .
In the case of the suggestion that the Telangana High Court should start functioning not later than three months of bifurcation, the GoM said it was not feasible as the matter needs consultation with the chief justice of India. The GoM also did not accept the proposal that the two successor states should share the revenues of Hyderabad city. However, it was agreed that a Telangana Public Service Commission would be set up. The draft bill had envisaged a joint public service commission for the two states.

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