Withdraw Hyd-K'taka bill, panel tells Centre

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Friday suggested to the Centre to withdraw the proposed Constitution amendment bill granting special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region and reintroduce it after consulting the Karnataka government.

The Parliamentary Panel on Home Affairs said that as the Karnataka government had earlier requested the Centre to consult it before taking steps to grant special status to backward region in the state, the Home Ministry may withdraw the bill and bring its modified version after taking the State’s view.

Taking note of the chief secretary’s letter to the Home Ministry, the committee, headed by Venkaiah Naidu, said that the panel feels that the ministry should have taken the state government into confidence about the provisions of the bill before introducing it in Parliament. So, the committee recommends that the Ministry may withdraw this bill and bring modified version.

The Home Ministry, during the monsoon session had tabled a bill which seeks to insert a Article 371J in the Constitution to provide a special provision to establish a separate development board for the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region.