Telangana's unilateral actions force Centre to intervene

Some of the steps initiated by the one month old Telangana government headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao shook the faith of Seemandhra people living in the capital region of Hyderabad in the local administration.

The government of Telangana which is endowed with revenue surplus of Rs 7,500 crore and a readymade capital unlike the residual state of Andhra Pradesh targeted people from a particular region, making them insecure in the common capital.

Hyderabad was made a common capital as per the AP Reorganization Act that bifurcated the first linguistic state of the country.

The first ever action of the new government of the new state was to demolish structures and houses built by people from Seemandhra region in the encroached government lands and Gurukul Trust lands near Hi-tech City to prevent  further illegal constructions in Hyderabad.

As per the directions of the chief minister, water and electricity were disconnected and 21 buildings were demolished one by one. While the occupants were running from pillar to post with the registered documents to prove their ownership the government refused to budge.

While the demolition was completed and the high court also refused to interfere in the work of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, a section of the residents who have lost their hard earned savings under the menacing sound of bulldozers and sledge hammers suddenly became outsiders in their own land.

Their questions whether there were no other illegal structures in Telangana and the breakers of the law were only from Seemandhra, were not answered.

But the government succeeded in teaching a lesson to the illegal occupants that Telangana government means business, even though political analysts see this move as Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s image building activity before elections to the corporation.

The next action was the taking over of the T Convention centre owned by actor A Nagarjuna, another Seemandhra actor alleging that it was built encroaching upon full tank level (FTL) of a lake bed, without even slapping a notice on the actor.

The action of the determined government succeeded in sending a message other over zealous builders.

Nativity issue

Even as the reorganisation act prescribed continuation of due share of admissions for Seemandhra students in the educational institutions of capital area for 10 years, the students are still in a dilemma whether they would avail all the benefits that a Telangana student is entitled for.

The Telangana government has already made it clear that only wards of parents who were born in Telangana before 1956 will be treated as natives of Telangana and one would not become a citizen of Telangana by birth.

The Telangana government’s argument was that it has to limit the expenditure on the fee waiver scheme introduced by the YSR government and such schemes are not a part of the Act.

Even as the AP government agreed to pick up the bill, the Telangana government took the tough stance on extending the nativity issue to parents of the students.

While there is no official confirmation on the Telangana government’s decision, the revenue officials were told to issue nativity certificates which would entail government benefits to only natives.

As of now many students who don’t possess any documents to prove their nativity, were asked to approach local public representatives and obtain certificates that they are residents of Telangana state.

The chief minister entrusted finalization of guidelines to a committee of five senior IAS officers.
With the two neighbouring states bickering over release of Krishna river water for Krishna delta, and merger of seven mandals of Khammam district of Telangana with AP to facilitate Polavaram project --which are a few more flash points between the states headed by two adversaries -- the governor who is a former IB chief has shot off  a letter to the Union home ministry seeking clarity over his role in the combined capital.

Coinciding with the governor’s SOS to the centre the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu has also written to the centre demanding policing by forces drawn from both the states.

The Union government has in turn asked the Telangana government to change and comply with 12 different business rules under Section 8 of the reorganization Act.

As per the MOH’s guidelines the power of protecting the lives, freedom and properties of all those living in Telangana state since its inception will be vested with the governor, off course for a maximum period of ten years. Protection of vital installations, allocations and maintenance of buildings, internal security, will be handed over to the governor.

It further said that the Governor will consult the Telangana state cabinet while discharging his duties. However the proposal of the Union government that irked Chandrasekhar Rao government the most was the governor’s control over law and order of the common capital area.

Setting up a of a special service board for Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district police, powers to governor to seek additional forces from centre, powers to seek reports directly from the police officials, and indirect control over issues related to the properties belonging to the residents under the Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy collectorates through special cells were other pertinent changes.

However, the Telangana government registered its protest to the proposed move and shot back a letter asking the Centre not to usurp the state subjects in the garb of common capital.

“The governor will have to discharge his duties as per the advice of the cabinet, as per the constitution of India,” it said.

With the TNGOs and the political parties declaring another round of agitation over the issue alleging proxy rule by Naidu and his Seemandhra industrialists, through Rajbhavan the brief relief of bifurcation seems to have ended opening up another bout of confrontation.