సవరణ తప్పదు!

Published at: 15-11-2013 07:52 AM

రెండు రాష్ట్రాల్లోనూ 371(డి) ఉండాలి
విభజన బిల్లుతో పాటే రాజ్యాంగ సవరణ బిల్లు
జీవోఎంకు న్యాయశాఖ సూచన
మరో రెండు ఓడు రేవులు ఇస్తాం
విమానాశ్రయాల విస్తరణ, కొత్తగా మరికొన్ని
హైదరాబాద్‌లోని ఉద్యోగులకు 'ఆప్షన్స్'
వరంగల్, విశాఖలో సీఆర్పీఎఫ్ స్థావరాలు
ఆయా శాఖల ఉన్నతాదికారులు సూచనలు
అన్నీ తేల్చిన తర్వాతే ఆర్థిక శాఖ నివేదిక

(న్యూఢిల్లీ - ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి)
రాష్ట్ర విభజన తర్వాత తెలంగాణ, సీమాంధ్ర రాష్ట్రాలు రెండింటిలోనూ రాజ్యాంగంలోని ఆర్టికల్ 371(డి)ని కొనసాగించాలని కేంద్ర న్యాయ శాఖ మంత్రుల బృందానికి సూచించింది. స్థానిక రిజర్వేషన్ల కోసం రాష్ట్రపతి ఉత్తర్వుల ద్వారా ఏర్పడిన ఈ అధికరణను అమలు చేయడమే ఆయా ప్రాంతాల ప్రజలకు మంచిదని స్పష్టం చేసింది. ఆ మేరకు రాజ్యాంగంలో సవరణ చేయాల్సి ఉంటుందని వెల్లడించింది. విభజన బిల్లుతోపాటే రాజ్యాంగ సవరణ బిల్లును కూడా ప్రవేశపెట్టాలని సూచించింది. సవరణ తప్పనిసరి అయితే సాధారణ మెజారిటీ సరిపోతుందా? లేక మూడింట రెండొంతుల మెజారిటీ కావాల్సిందేనే? అనే అంశంపై న్యాయశాఖ అధికారులు స్పష్టంగా సమాధానం ఇవ్వలేదని సమాచారం. దీంతో సోమవారం అటార్నీ జనరల్ వాహనవతితో భేటీ కావాలని జీవోఎం సభ్యులు నిర్ణయించారు. గురువారం సాయంత్రం 4 గంటల నుంచి 8.30 గంటల వరకూ జీవోఎం అధ్యక్షుడు, హోం శాఖ మంత్రి షిండే కార్యాలయంలో సుదీర్ఘంగా జరిగిన సమావేశంలో ఆర్థిక, సిబ్బంది-శిక్షణ వ్యవహారాలు, న్యాయ, రైల్వే, పౌర విమానయాన, ఓడరేవులు, ఉపరితల రవాణా శాఖల కార్యదర్శులు పాల్గొన్నారు. ఈ సమావేశంలో షిండే, జైరామ్ రమేశ్, వీరప్ప మొయిలీలు మాత్రమే ఆద్యంతం పాల్గొన్నారు. మరొక సభ్యుడు నారాయణస్వామి మధ్యమధ్యలో సమావేశానికి హాజరయ్యారు. ఆంటోనీ, చిదంబరం, ఆజాద్‌లు పూర్తిగా గైర్హాజరయ్యారు. తొలుత హోం శాఖ నియమించిన టాస్క్‌ఫోర్స్ సభ్యులు విజయ్‌కుమార్, రాజీవ్ శర్మ, వాసన్ జీవోఎంతో సమావేశమయ్యారు. హైదరాబాద్ స్థితిపై దాదాపు గంటసేపు చర్చలు జరిగినట్లు తెలిసింది. ప్రతిపాదనలపై విజయ్ కుమార్ పవర్‌పాయింట్ ప్రజెంటేషన్ ఇచ్చారు. నక్సల్స్‌కు సంబంధించి పరిస్థితి అదుపులోనే ఉందని... ఇప్పుడు తీసుకుంటున్న చర్యలను మరింత పటిష్ఠంగా అమలు చేస్తే రెండు రాష్ట్రాల్లో ఎలాంటి సమస్యలూ రాకుండా చూడొచ్చని తెలిపారు. విభజన అనంతరం ఇరు రాష్ట్రాలూ నిఘా సమాచారాన్ని ఇచ్చిపుచ్చుకోవటం, ఇరు రాష్ట్రాల్లోనూ ఆక్టోపస్, గ్రేహౌండ్స్ ఏర్పాటుపై కీలక ప్రతిపాదనలు చేశారు. వరంగల్, విశాఖపట్నం నగరాల్లో సీఆర్పీఎఫ్ బేస్ క్యాంపుల్ని ఏర్పాటు చేయాలని ప్రతిపాదించారు.

ఆర్థిక శాఖ : చివర్లో చెబుతాం
ఇప్పుడు మేం నివేదిక ఇచ్చినా ఉపయోగం ఉండదు. మిగతా శాఖలు ఇచ్చిన ప్రతిపాదనల ఆధారంగా మా నివేదికను రూపొందించాల్సి ఉంటుంది. ఏయే శాఖలు ఏమేం ప్రతిపాదనలు సమర్పించాయో, హైదరాబాద్ ఆదాయ పంపిణీపై ఏం నిర్ణయం తీసుకున్నారో కూడా స్పష్టం చేయండి. హైదరాబాద్ ప్రతిపత్తి ఏమిటి? ఆదాయాన్ని ఎలా పంచుతున్నారు? మా నివేదిక రూపకల్పనలో ఇవన్నీ ముఖ్య భూమిక పోషిస్తాయి. హైదరాబాద్‌ను కేంద్రపాలిత ప్రాంతం చేస్తే అక్కడున్న అనేక సంస్థలు మున్ముందు కూడా అక్కడే కొనసాగుతాయి. చేయకపోతే పరిస్థితి మరోలా ఉంటుంది. అక్కడ ఉన్న కంపెనీలన్నీ మరొక చోటికి మారిపోతే పరిస్థితి ఏంటి? తద్వారా ఆదాయం తగ్గిపోతే దానిని ఎవరు భరించాలి? వీటిపై స్పష్టత లేకుండా మేం ముందే ప్యాకేజీలను ప్రకటిస్తే... తర్వాత పరిస్థితి తారుమారైతే ఆ భారాన్ని మళ్లీ కేంద్రమే భరించాల్సి ఉంటుంది. కాబట్టి, సమగ్రమైన సమాచారాన్ని మాకు ఇస్తే ఆ మేరకు ప్యాకేజీలను ఖరారు చేస్తాం. మా నివేదికను చివరగానే ఇస్తాం.

శాసన వ్యవహారాల విభాగం : ముసాయిదా
విభజన బిల్లు తయారీకి సంబంధించిన ముసాయిదా మా వద్ద సిద్ధంగా ఉంది. 371(డి) సవరణ బిల్లు ప్రవేశపెట్టాలని చెబితే దానిని కూడా సిద్ధం చేస్తాం. సవరణ బిల్లును కూడా విభజన బిల్లుతో పాటే పార్లమెంటులో ప్రవేశ పెట్టాల్సి ఉంటుంది. దీనిపై నిర్ణయం తీసుకుని మాకు చెప్పండి.

ఓడరేవులు అనుమతులు ఇచ్చేశాం
దుగరాజపట్నం, రామాయపట్నంలో ఓడ రేవుల ఏర్పాటుకు మేం అనుమతులు ఇచ్చేశాం. నిర్మాణ పనుల్ని ఎప్పుడు ప్రారంభించాలన్నది రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వమే నిర్ణయించుకోవాలి. కోస్తా తీరంలో ఇప్పటికే ఉన్న ఓడరేవులతోపాటు మరో రెండింటిని కేటాయించేందుకు మేం సుముఖం. సీమాంధ్రలో జల రవాణా మార్గాలను కూడా అభివృద్ధి చేయాలి.

పౌర విమానయానం : కొత్త ఎయిర్‌పోర్టులకు సిద్ధం

ఇరు రాష్ట్రాల్లో ఉన్న విమానాశ్రయాలను అభివృద్ధి చేసేందుకు మేం సిద్ధం. కొత్తగా విమానాశ్రయాలను ఏర్పాటు చేసేందుకు కూడా రెడీగా ఉన్నాం. ఎక్కడెక్కడ ఏర్పాటు చేయాలనేది నిర్ణయించి, ఆ మేరకు భూ సేకరణ చేసి ఇస్తే మేం అభివృద్ధి చేస్తాం. విశాఖపట్నం విమానాశ్రయం అభివృద్ధికి రక్షణ శాఖ నుంచే అనుమతులు రావాలి.

Source: Andhra Jyothi

2 lakh throng Nellore Dargah on Rottela Panduga

By Express News Service - NELLORE

Published: 26th November 2012 12:13 PM 

 

Women taking part in Rottela Panduga in Nellore on Sunday. | Express Photo  

Around 2 lakh devotees took a holy dip in the Nellore tank (Swarnala Cheruvu), adjacent to the Bara Shaheed Dargah, and exchanged ‘Rottelu’ standing in the ankle-deep of water on the first day of annual Rottelu Panduga, festival of bread, here on Sunday.

Organisers said devotees, irrespective of their religions, thronged the Dargah, seeking the blessings of the 12 Muslim warriors, who sacrificed their lives in the ‘Holy War’ of 1751.

The devotee rush was more as the first day of the fete coincided with the 10 day of Muharram, the day on which Imam Hussain, the grand son of Prophet Mohammed, had sacrificed his life for the sake of Islam, they said.

Devotees believe that they will be blessed by the 12 martyrs if they visit the Dargah during the annual fete and their wishes will be fulfilled.

“ I came here to accept the ‘Pelli Rotte’ for my daughter as my son got married last year after I visited the Dargah during the fete in 2010, said 55-year-old Vijayamma of Padugupadu village in Kovur mandal.

The ‘boondi’ (a kind of sweet offered to the martyrs) vendors were seen very optimistic. “Usually, the vendors make a business of `20 lakh during the fete. If everything goes well, I will sell sweets worth `75,000 this time,” said SK Babu, a sweet vendor, adding that he has vowed to leave a ‘Business Rotte’ in the holy tank.

Meanwhile, the organiser committee is pinning hopes for a good hundi collection this year.  SD Shakil Ahmad, a member of the organising committee, said they are expecting a hundi collection of `20 lakh as the devotee rush is more this time as compared to the previous years.

 Source: The New Indian Express

Did Bhagmati really exist?

J. S. Ifthekhar 

HYDERABAD, November 11, 2013

 

The Purana Pul, the oldest bridge on the Musi. A 1908 photo from 

the collection of Mohd. Safiullah of Hyderabad.   

THE HINDU The tomb of Bhagmati, the beloved of Quli Qutb Shah,
Hyderabad's founder, rots in utter neglect at Rahmatnagar in the Old City.
 — Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Heritage enthusiast seeks to demolish the myth of Bhagmati, with whom the city’s founder Mohd. Quli Qutb Shah is believed to have fallen madly in love, saying there is no inscription bearing her name or a trace of her grave

True love never grows old. So is the legend of Bhagmati. Hers was love made up of stolen moments – bitter, sweet and poignant. She was the damsel in distress and he the knight in shining armour.

Nothing could stop the star-crossed lovers, not even the turbulent Musi. In comes the doting father, Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, and constructs the Puranapul bridge to facilitate his son Mohd. Quli Qutb Shah cross the river to meet his lady love.

A generation of Hyderabadis has been brought up on this lore. But, was it all real or a figment of the imagination?

“Nothing but fiction. There is no substantial evidence to prove that Bhagmati ever existed,” says heritage enthusiast Mohd. Safiullah.

In an interesting talk on Bhagmati – Fact or Fiction here on Saturday, Mr. Safiullah sought to demolish the myth of the legendary nautch girl, with whom the city’s founder was believed to have fallen in love head over heels.

“There is no inscription, miniature or coin of that period mentioning her name. There is no trace of her grave either. Even Chichalam, the place where she was supposedly born, has not been identified yet,” Mr. Safiullah said.

The talk organised under the auspices of Historical Society of Hyderabad at the Salar Jung Museum drew many historians and scholars.

While a big question mark hung on the very existence of Bhagmati, there were no doubts about other courtesans like Premamati and Taramati, since material evidence was available about them. Moreover, their graves could be found in the royal necropolis at Golconda.

“Why Bhagmati was not buried there if she was so important?” asked Mr. Safiullah of Deccan Heritage Trust.

With the help of slides, he explained how a romance between Quli Qutb Shah and Bhagmati could not have taken place, since the king was barely 10 years then. He was born in April 1566, while the Puranapul was completed in 1578 after more than two years of construction.

“That made Quli Qutb Shah just nine-and-a-half years. Imagine a youngster romancing at that age,” Mr. Safiullah wondered.

There was also no evidence to show that Hyderabad was named after Hyder Mahal, the title conferred on Bhagmati. Referring to an extract from the book, ‘Landmarks of Deccan’, Mr. Safiullah said the name Hyder Mahal was mentioned along with other palaces such as Dad Mahal and Nadi Mahal. “You build a palace and then honour someone you love with its name. How illogical?” he asked.

Moreover, the word ‘Hyder’ was an attribute of Hazrat Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam, and it could not have been conferred on a nautch girl, he argued to prove that Bhagmati was not the inspiration for the city’s name.

Travel writer Ferishta’s account about the dalliance of Quli Qutb Shah with Bhagmati could not be attached credence, as he had written about the royal affair sitting in Bijapur without visiting Hyderabad.

“At best, Bhagmati is a popular but unfounded myth,” Mr. Safiullah maintained. He referred to historians such as Haroon Khan Sherwani, Habib Nisar and David Mathew to support his argument.

But, some in the audience did not buy his argument. “There is no smoke without fire,” a participant remarked. 

Source: The Hindu

The world is her oyster

By Ayesha Singh

Published: 10th November 2013 12:00 AM

Sanchaita Gajapati Raju

Just when our story on NGO SANA, among the top ten finalists for the coveted Google Impact Challenge 2013, was ready to go to press we received a call that made us slam emergency brakes on the release of pages. It was SANA (Social Awareness, Newer Alternatives)’s 30-year-old founder, Sanchaita Gajapati Raju.

“I have some excellent news to share with your readers. We have just been promoted from being nominated to being declared winners of the challenge and have bagged Rs 3 crore as prize money,” she gushed. “I am now in a position to walk the talk with regards to all my plans, so listen on,” she continued.

A couple of days before the frenzied call, she told us how it all began. “In early 2011, I was producing a film for a fertiliser company in Morocco, which was working with an NGO in Gulbarga. During its making, I realised the impact of social intervention at the grass-roots level and decided I wanted to set up SANA. My pet projects would be in the segment of drinking water and sanitation,” says Sanchaita, who lives in Delhi.

Those pet projects have taken a new shape in the last couple of years and for all their efforts, three other NGOs along with SANA have won `3 crore for initiatives to tackle global issues using technology. SANA was also voted the fan favourite, polling the maximum number of votes out of over half-a-million votes polled worldwide. Its mass appeal stems from its core ideology of providing two basic things—clean drinking water and sanitary urinals. “Throughout India, villages lack access to clean and hygienic water and toilets. This spreads deadly diseases and creates unsafe living environments. With the money we’ve got, SANA will combine solar-powered micro-ionizing water purification and bio-digesting technology to improve water and sanitation infrastructure in villages of coastal Andhra Pradesh,” says Sanchaita.

“These systems will purify local water sources to provide clean drinking water and the waste water generated will power new community toilets. We also hope to provide 54 million litres of safe drinking water to residents in three years, bio-digesting toilets to 10 villages and improve health conditions for 25,000 people annually,” Sanchaita says enthusiastically.

The excitement and energy with which she talks makes it clear that Sanchaita has found her calling. Born in Hyderabad, the spunky do-gooder pursued a degree in political science from Delhi University before studying law. After finishing law school, she worked for a media company.

“We were producing award-winning documentaries, daily serials and entertainment shows. I was heading the finance and administration department. It was a great learning experience,” she says.

It was at that time that she presented her first social intervention project—a solar-powered water purifying compact station to the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. “I tied up with a company working in Laos for the technology. All I wanted was permissions and ground support from the Delhi government which I managed to get, so we decided to set a pilot project in RPVV School in East Delhi,” she says. This school had no clean drinking water nor did it have funds to buy water.

SANA installed a solar-powered water station in a record 30 days. “We trained the students and staff to maintain the system, created a distribution platform, where every student was allowed to take home five litres of clean drinking water every evening. A few other projects paved the way for us to think bigger and be bolder and here we are with our most recent water purification and sanitation mission,” she says.

When Sanchaita isn’t conducting extensive research projects or devising strategies for intervention, she likes to spend her time listening to music and planning travel itineraries.

“In my free time, I love to cook and bake. I am passionate about gardening, especially growing vegetables. But to tell you honestly, there isn’t a moment when I am not thinking about work,” she says. “I could have given this interview in my sleep as the issue of sanitation and safe drinking water has become my life and is surely more than just a job for me,” she beams.

Source: The New Indian Express

Telangana unlikely before 2014 polls

Kingshuk Nag, TNN | Nov 10, 2013, 03.56 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The flurry of activities notwithstanding, Telangana is unlikely to become a reality before the 2014 elections. The Congress high command - though strong in its resolve to carve out a new state - is unable to bite the bullet. This is primarily because of chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. Though all methods have been used to persuade Kiran to fall in line - including in the last two days- he is unwilling to relent. The powers that be aver - on the basis of information from multiple sources that Kiran will resign the moment the Telangana resolution is sought to be introduced in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. Intelligence reports have also predicted that he will launch his political outfit batting for united Andhra Pradesh immediately after resigning.

But Kiran's expected resignation is not worrying the Congress high command. What the bosses fear is that any new Congress chief minister will not be able to command the majority in the assembly and win a vote of confidence. In this situation, the assembly will have to be dissolved and fresh elections ordered. "With the term of the assembly ending in April next year and even the general elections slated then, the feeling is to continue with the Kiran government till the end of the term," said a source in the inside track of the development.

However, till the elections are announced - the Congress party and the government will continue to make motions of moving forward on the matter. The group of ministers (GoM) set up to study the problem will continue its work and present its recommendations to the Union cabinet at the end of the month.

Even as the GoM goes ahead with its confabulations, Congress party bosses are also seeking legal opinion to figure out whether a newly appointed chief minister can carry on in office for a few months without facing a vote of confidence in the legislative assembly. Though President's rule is an option that the government should have ordinarily preferred to- the thinking is against this. There is an opinion that legally it may not be possible to divide the state when President's rule is on. However, in the past - in 1966- Punjab was divided in the midst of President's rule. The Congress party is also seriously mulling over the proposal to merge Anantapur and Kurnool districts with Telangana to water down the opposition to the new state in Rayalaseema region which is Jagan's stronghold. Jagan has emerged as the most potent opposition to bifurcation.

Now, it transpires that the Congress is not even sure that it will be able to get a resolution on Telangana approved in the Lok Sabha. The apprehension is that in the run-up to the general elections, the major opposition party (the BJP) is unlikely to play ball with the Congress and help to get the bill passed. Though on paper the BJP is committed to Telangana, it now senses an opportunity in the political vacuum in Seemandhra and wants to piggy ride on the back of TDP.

Analysts aver that the BJP will oppose some clauses and sub-clauses in the proposed bill and stymie efforts of the Congress to create Telangana before the elections.

Sensing this, the Congress has already initiated back channel talks with the BJP seeking support for the Telangana bill.

The TRS which is the only party unequivocally for Telangana will protest at the delay in creation of the separate state but will benefit from the delay. If Telangana becomes a reality before the elections, the party will have to share honors with the Congress for creating the new state. But if it does not happen, the party will sweep the polls in the region as people's ire in Telangana will make them vote decidedly in favour of TRS.

The delay in the creation of the new state is however going to hit business and life hard. Business and other sections of people are now mentally prepared for the bifurcation which they analyze will end the uncertainty in their lives. But for the time being it seems that the uncertainty will continue.

Source: The Times of India

BJP not to submit suggestions to GoM

By Express News Service - HYDERABAD

Published: 09th November 2013 08:28 AM

The BJP, while reiterating its commitment for creation of Telangana state with 10 districts and Hyderabad as its capital, made it clear on Friday that it would not submit its suggestions to the Group of Ministers (GoM) until the Centre comes out with its views on the terms of reference on state bifurcation.

The party instead of submitting its suggestions on bifurcation to GoM chairman AK Antony has sent a letter to Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who is also a member of the GoM, asking the Centre to clarify its stand on the terms of reference.

Speaking to reporters, BJP state president G Kishan Reddy, Nagam Janardhan Reddy and Bandaru Dattatreya said that the GoM is totally in a state of confusion on the issue of bifurcation and was changing its stance everyday.

“Neither the Congress Working Committee (CWC) nor the GoM has clarity on the terms of reference and were confusing the political parties of the state. Let them first come out with their views on the terms of reference then we will respond to each  issue,” Kishan Reddy said.

The Congress is not able to bring consensus among its leaders and was asking other parties to express their views on terms and reference. What kind of national party is this which do not have control over its  members, he wondered.

“On one hand the chief minister who is supposed to convince his party leaders is himself revolting against the party’s decision and was also provoking the people of the Seemandhra region. On the other hand Congress leaders from Telangana region are busy taking out victory rallies in the region. What message the Congress leaders want to give to the people of the state,” he asked.

“The GoM has called for an all-party meeting on November 12 and 13 and is giving just 20 minutes to each party to present their views. Is the GoM serious about the exercise?” he wondered.

Source: The New Indian Express

తొలి తెలుగు శాసనం లేనట్లే

Published at: 05-11-2013 07:37 AM




ఇంజనీరింగ్,ఎంబీబీఎస్‌లోనూ తెలుగు బోధన
మండలి బుద్ధ ప్రసాద్

చెన్నై, నవంబర్ 4: తొలి తెలుగు శాసనం దాదాపుగా కనుమరుగైపోయినట్లేనని ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ అధికార భాషా సంఘం చైర్మన్ మండలి బుద్ధప్రసాద్ పేర్కొన్నారు. ఎన్నో తెలుగు తాళపత్ర గ్రంథాలకు నెలవైన తంజావూరులోని సరస్వతీ మహల్ లైబ్రరీ పరిశీలనకు వెళ్తున్న మండలి సోమవారం చెన్నైలో 'ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి'తో మాట్లాడుతూ... "కలమళ్ల శాసనం అసలు రికార్డుల్లోనే లేదు. చెన్నై మ్యూజియానికి చేరినట్లుగా ఎలాంటి ఆధారాలు లేవు. ఎక్కడెక్కడో వుందని పరిశోధకులు చెబుతున్నారు. వారు చెప్పిన చోటల్లా వెతుకుతున్నాం. కానీ అది అలభ్యం. అందువల్ల అది కనుమరుగైపోయినట్లేనని భావిస్తున్నా. అయితే ఆ శాసనం ప్రతిని స్కాన్ చేసి, గూగుల్లో పెట్టి అన్వేషిస్తే అది ఎక్కడ వున్నా కనిపెట్టగలమని ఇటీవల సెంట్రల్ యూనివర్శిటీ వారు చెప్పారు. ఆ పనులు కూడా జరుగుతున్నాయి. బహుశా ఇదే ఆఖరి ప్రయత్నమేమో! అదే కాలానికి చెందిన తెలుగులో 2వదిగా చెప్పబడుతున్న శాసనం మాత్రం చెన్నై మ్యూజియంలో వుంది. కానీ తొలి శాసనం లేదు. అందువల్ల అది ఇక్కడికి చేరలేదని భావిస్తున్నాం. ఇలాంటి శాసనాలు ఎన్నో కనుమరుగైపోయాయి. అయితే ఆ శాసనం దొరకనిపక్షంలో దాని ప్రతిని ఆధారంగా చేసుకుని అలాంటిదే మళ్లీ చెక్కించి, కలమళ్లలో స్థాపించాలన్న ఆలోచన కూడా వుంది'' అని పేర్కొన్నారు. తెలుగు జాతి వైఫల్యం వల్లే తొలి శాసనం కనుమరుగైపోయిందన్నారు.

Source: Andhra Jyothi

శ్రీ కౌముది నవంబర్ 2013

Srikrishna panel: New state of Telangana will lead to large-scale migration & social unrest

Monday, Nov 4, 2013, 7:47 IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

Manan Kumar 

  

The controversial chapter of the Justice Srikrishna Commission report that was stashed away in a separate cover for being too direct and volatile reflects rather poorly on the state of education and predicts migration woes leading to conflicts social unrest and adverse impact on farming. 

Observing that most of the educational infrastructure in Telangana, located within the limits of Greater Hyderabad and owned by Seemandhra people, has been used by the student community for pro-Telangana agitations, the report cautions, “This may lead to migration of the faculty as well as these institutions, impacting/reducing the availability of local persons who can be productively engaged by the industry/ business-houses.”

Taking into account Telangana’s riches as having deposits of limestone and granite and dominant industries of thermal power and pharmaceuticals etc., the report observe that most industries are managed by Seemandhra people.

It then questions the main propaganda of Telangana agitation which demanded that job opportunities in all these industries should be made available to the people of Telangana, and asks who would substitute the owners and skilled personnel employed in these industries that come from the Seemandhra region.

“The inability to substitute them with sufficient number of qualified locals may lead to conflict between the locals and non-locals and also between the management and the workforce,” the report deduces.

Observing that energy deficiencies in Telangana region may lead to migration of population to Seemandhra region that is rapidly expanding its energy sources, viz., gas, wind, solar and nuclear, besides having coal, the report warns of further imbalance in employment opportunities, which may become a cause for social unrest.

Dwelling further on energy deficiency in Telangana where substantial energy gets consumed by industrially-developed Nalgonda, Medak, Mahboobnagar and Hyderabad, the report observes that any economic imbalance may lead to energy starvation of the small and marginal farmers, who are currently enjoying free electricity for irrigation, thus adversely affecting the productivity.

“This can cause decline in their earnings which may result in distress sale of lands and their migration to the industrial belt in the Hyderabad city,” cautions the report.

“This may further cause change in the population profile, pressure on unskilled employment sector, land and water utilisation in Hyderabad which in turn may accentuate inter-regional rivalry and tensions in Hyderabad area,” it warns.

Finally, dealing with the socio-economic equations, the report looks at the historical dominance of upper castes of Reddys and Velamas in Telangana that led to the discrimination of the bulk of population coming from backward community of Munnur Kapu, Mudhiraj, Gouds, Padmashalis and the scheduled castes, mainly  ‘madigas’ and caused Naxalism.

Trying to dissect the scenario in case of the formation of Telangana state, the report says, “Even today while the leaders of the separate Telangana agitation are from dominant castes, the actual foot soldiers are mainly from the BCs and SCs, who are aspiring to acquire political space and leadership. These aspirations, if not realised, may become an important factor contributing to social unrest.”

Source: dnaindia

A tale of two states: 'Happy Birthday Andhra Pradesh' has a sad tinge today

T S Sudhir  Hyderabad, November 1, 2013 | UPDATED 16:13 IST

'Happy Birthday Andhra Pradesh' has a sad tinge to it today. For this November 1 could well be the last Andhra Pradesh Formation Day that the state is celebrating in its present form. If the Congress has its way, by December, the state would be cut into two to create a new state of Telangana with ten districts while the remaining 13 districts would continue to call themselves Andhra Pradesh.

In 1956, Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on linguistic basis. In 2013, that will fade into history.

By all accounts it has been a messy divorce, with court proceedings (read appeals in the Delhi Durbar by people from Andhra Pradesh) virulent, emotional and ugly. That is because people from the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions think they have been given a raw deal. They believe both in the short term and long term, the new Andhra Pradesh or Seemandhra is going to be unviable. A flop state, condemned to doom, from day one.

"Telugu speaking people will lose both politically and economically in a big way. But then if that is a choice that the Telugu speaking people have made consciously, they you cannot complain about it,'' rues Jayaprakash Narayan, President of the Loksatta Party. Narayan who is an MLA from Hyderabad city, is in favour of Telangana but objects to the manner in which the state is being bifurcated.

Interestingly, that it has been a case of 'winner takes all' is a sentiment shared even by Telangana politicians in private. They gloat that they have successfully managed to convince the powers-that-be in Delhi that the "historical mistakes of the past" should be corrected by being overgenerous to Telangana.

Andhra Pradesh sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the highest in south India. Since 1996, this contingent has played a central role in governments at the Centre, be it the Telugu Desam in 1996, 1998 and 1999 or the Congress in 2004 and 2009. Now Telangana state with 17 MPs and Seemandhra state with 25 MPs, will find their political clout considerably reduced.

"Size matters," points out D A Somayajulu, former Economic Affairs Advisor to Andhra Pradesh government and now a leader with the YSR Congress. "Now we are going to lose this size. So no one will take you seriously. Does anyone take Mizoram seriously the way they take a big state like Andhra Pradesh. They wont.''

But reduced political clout is not the only reason why many feel that it is a lose-lose situation for both states. People of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema are ruing that since Hyderabad will longer be their state capital, it will take away the magnetic power the state had to attract investors.

"Any division will have its advantages and disadvantages. For the people of Seemandhra, losing a capital city like Hyderabad, a city that has been developed over decades is a loss. They cannot replicate even if they are given 2 or 3 lakh crores. That kind of money can create infrastructure but it cannot create an economy,'' says K Nageshwar, political analyst.

Somayajulu argues that the administrators of Andhra Pradesh erred by putting all the goodies in the Hyderabad basket as a result of which there is a world of difference between the the state capital and other cities in the state.

"In 2012-13, Andhra Pradesh had a software turnover of 55000 crores out of which Rs.54800 crores was from Hyderabad. Which means 99.9% is from Hyderabad. This means the engine of economic growth is in Hyderabad while the rest of Andhra Pradesh will have only compartments with no engine. That too at a time when agriculture constitutes just 15-16 per cent of GDP. So you cannot have 84 per cent on one side and 16 per cent on the other. Not the best way to divide a state," he says.

According to the Andhra Pradesh finance ministry, Hyderabad accounts for 70 per cent of Andhra Pradesh's tax revenues. In 2012-13, of the state's revenues of 69146 crore rupees, Rs.48400 crore came from Hyderabad and its neighbouring Ranga Reddy district. The revenue from rest of Telangana was Rs.6206 crore, coastal Andhra Rs.10729 crore and Rayalaseema Rs.3809 crores.

However the Justice Srikrishna committee which studied the situation in Andhra Pradesh, believed that Hyderabad as the bone of contention is over hyped. In its 505 page report submitted in January 2011, it said this about economic viability : "Telangana as a new state can sustain itself both with and without Hyderabad. The other combination of regions - coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema - together can also sustain themselves as a state; in fact they can sustain themselves separately.''

The committee's report pointed out that the Telangana region (excluding Hyderabad) ranks 15th in the list of 28 states in terms of absolute GDP. Including Hyderabad, its rank moves up to 13th place. Interestingly, coastal Andhra ranks 13th too in terms of GDP. The laggard is Rayalaseema, whose per capita income is below the all-India average.

Former director of Centre for Public Policy and a votary of Telangana, Dr Gautam Pingle therefore believes that this fear of Seemandhra being a Bimaru state is just not true. "If they are bimaru, we are also bimaru. We are in fact worse off. They have capital, entrepreneurship. For last 150 years, they had 2 million acres under both the deltas, thanks to the Brits,'' says Dr Pingle.

However, that has not prevented the battle for a united Andhra Pradesh from becoming a battle to retain control over Hyderabad, some way or the other. Votaries of status quo argue that it is because they are also interested in Hyderabad's prosperity. Being made the capital of a Telangana state, they argue, is killing Brand Hyderabad.

"If it were not to be the capital of a large state like AP, and be just be an erstwhile princely state like Mysore, Junagadh or Gwalior, it would have deteriorated and degenerated. But because it became the capital of a large prosperous state with two deltas, long coastline, minerals, Hyderabad prospered. Now if it were to become the capital of a state with just 17 Lok Sabha seats and not much economic activity in the hinterland of Hyderabad, then Hyderabad will be lost even before the next 10 years. It will be an insignificant metropolis,'' argues Parakala Prabhakar, a votary of united Andhra Pradesh.

However, Telangana activists say that it is time Seemandhra moved on, instead of crying hoarse that all is lost by losing Hyderabad.

"If we took the same view, we would go to Bangalore ten years ago. Because ten years ago, Hyderabad was not an IT hub, Bangalore was. So you have to start somewhere. If you want to present yourself as a location that is favourable and profitable, there is no point saying, we lost Hyderabad," says Pingle.

But Hyderabad is only one part of the issue in this tale of two states. The region whose concerns are being ignored the most in this entire division debate is Rayalaseema, which for all practical purposes, is even more backward than Telangana. Not everyone is confident that the two regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema will continue as one state for too long. They point out that culturally and in terms of prosperity and work ethic, people from the two regions are very different. The apprehension is that Rayalaseema will be seen by people of coastal Andhra as a burden, almost like poor cousins. Especially since the region does not have the kind of resource base that coastal Andhra has.

"Rayalaseema's concerns and future are far more important than Hyderabad. Far too many people are focusing on Hyderabad. But we are ignoring central issue of 16 million people. They are most backward districts of India. There is a genuine sense of being orphaned. If we do not address that, we are not really finding a solution,'' says Jayaprakash Narayan.

Which is why there is almost a consensus that Rayalaseema that consists of four districts may want to break away from coastal Andhra, sooner than later. That a trifurcation of present-day Andhra Pradesh will most certainly take place.

G Omkarnath, Professor of Economics at Hyderabad Central University sees an unviability in terms of Seemandhra surviving as one unit. "There would soon be forces who would play up in Rayalaseema. The same forces who came in Telangana will say look, we in Rayalaseema have our own identity and become a third state instead of two states, sooner or later. It calls for tremendous institutional engineering, political statesmanship, vision on part of polity as a whole,'' says Prof Omkarnath.

When advertising professionals Shashi Vadana Reddy and S K Swaroop got married 13 years ago, the fact that Shashi hails from Telangana and Swaroop from Vizag in coastal Andhra, hardly mattered. But now in a situation where Andhra Pradesh is about to be cut into two, Shashi has to walk that extra mile to ensure peace in her household. She says divisions run so deep that people from her side of the family do not even want to give one of their daughters in matrimony to a boy from coastal Andhra.

"Sometimes it becomes a bit heated. For instance, when my aunt comes over. She is totally into Telangana and has very extreme views on it. When she comes over, I make sure Swaroop is not around,'' says Shashi Vadana Reddy.

But it is not so hush-hush when it comes to Telugu films. The manner in which the Telugu film industry, dominated by people from coastal Andhra, portray people from Telangana as comedians, has always been a grouse with those from the region. If a new wave of Telangana filmmakers emerge, that could change though the argument is that films should be made for all nine crore Telugus and not for four crore in Telangana, five crore in Seemandhra and two crore living outside the state.

Eminent film producer D Suresh Babu predicts that there will be one set of filmmakers on both sides who will try to make extreme regional films. "If they have a broader appeal, they will do well across. But if they have only local appeal, they will do well only locally and will slowly die out. Because business needs better films. So they will also come back - the bigger Telangana director and the bigger Vizag director,'' says Suresh Babu.

The situation is worse when it comes to those practising purist cultural traditions. Varsha Bhargavi, a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO, fears that dance forms that have their roots in coastal Andhra will find the doors of Hyderabad city as an art patron shut on them for ever.

"I feel the bifurcation will really affect the dance forms in Andhra Pradesh especially those performers based out of Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. Already many of them are not allowed to performed in Hyderabad city, which is really the place for the performing arts. We have seen a lot of negative views on Andhra Natyam dance form when we were performing at the Kakatiya dance festival in Warangal last year. We had to announce it as a temple dance tradition instead of Andhra Natyam,'' says Varsha Bhargavi.

If the borders of Andhra Pradesh are redrawn, future generations will witness water wars. That is the prediction, Seemandhra politicians like Kiran Kumar Reddy and Jaganmohan Reddy are making. Their argument is that river water sharing will at best be on paper, but never implemented in letter and spirit by the upper riparian state, which in this case will be Telangana.

Given the confrontationist nature of river water sharing disputes between Karnataka and Tamilnadu and even Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, people from Seemandhra region predict that this division will sound the deathknell for agriculture in coastal Andhra. They point to Andhra Pradesh's experience with Tungabhadra which is jointly managed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

"We hardly get 50 per cent of the water allotted to us in any year. In the years of flooding, anyway water will come. But in normal years, we do not even get water that is allotted to us. So now you will have another state created and this state with all its resources can utilise all this water. Who are you going to tell? What are we doing to Karnataka?'' says Somayajulu.

Interestingly, experts predict that Telangana region, that is largely dependent on borewells and tanks, and has seen many farmers burdened by debt killing themselves after their crop failed, could now see its agriculture take a turn for the better.

"Telangana agriculture might show more dynamism. Because they don't have a history of irrigation. Traditionally they have had tank irrigation but now tanks have been closing down due to real estate take over. But as they get more and more into river-based irrigation system, it will improve. Already Karimnagar, according to the Srikrishna committee report, is the rice bowl of Telangana. And the rice millers assocation of Karimnagar is very powerful politically,'' says Omkarnath.

Union ministers like Purandareswari and Pallam Raju from Seemandhra, reconciled to the inevitability of bifurcation, are now bargaining for a hefty package to develop the new state. But it will not be easy to attract private capital, unless juicy carrots are dangled. J A Chowdhary, Chief Mentor of The Indus Entrepreneurs points out that if any industrialist has to set up operations in Seemandhra, he will look for incentives such as tax breaks, both sales tax and income tax.

Analysts also warn Seemandhra against making the mistake Andhra Pradesh did and advise the state's future rulers to develop several industrial hubs across the two regions.

But it is not as if everything is hunky dory for Telangana state. Over focussing on Hyderabad could be a strategic error as would be to use the city only as a money-minting machine for the state exchequer. Experts point out that huge differences within Telangana - between a tribal Adilabad and a Mahbubnagar prone to large scale migrations - will have to be reconciled in a more socialist development ecosystem.

Many like chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy have argued that the lights will be off the moment Telangana becomes a separate state. That is because it will be a power deficit state. Telangana region now produces 57 million units in a day, but consumes about 115 million units. If the lift irrigation schemes in Telangana were to be implemented, it would need another 175 million units everyday. Which means the state will face a daily shortfall of over 200 million units. The result will either be loadshedding or a drain on the state exchequer to buy power from other states.

Telangana leaders admit the power situation will remain a concern in a future new state but say they will manage it. "Hyderabad is the hinterland of Telangana and is the economic engine that drives Andhra Pradesh today and will drive Telangana tomorrow. So Telangana being a surplus state can buy power from Andhra or Chhattisgarh and if we get grid connectivity, even from the north east. If power is the only issue, there are avenues to make up for the deficit. But yes, we admit that Telangana as on today will be short on power," says K T Rama Rao, TRS leader.

For the last four years, Andhra Pradesh has been a house divided, a case of Us versus Them, with the differences on regional lines completely exposed. But the real test starts now. For people in both states. They need to ensure that while united they stood, divided too they will not fall.

Source: India Today

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/andhra-pradesh-telangana-seemandhra-andhra-pradesh-formation-day/1/321182.html