Seemandhra Union ministers ask GoM to make Hyderabad UT

In a last-ditch effort to prevent Hyderabad from being a part of Telangana, Union ministers of Seemandhra region on Wednesday urged a Group of Ministers to make the city a Union Territory and divide its revenue among Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh.

Union ministers M M Pallam Raju, V Kishore Chandra Deo and seven others met the GoM, headed by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and placed the demands, ahead of the government's move to place the Telangana Bill in Parliament.

They also demanded that the Bhadrachalam sub-division in the state should be incorporated into Seemandhra region as this is the submerged area of Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project, which will be part of residuary Andhra Pradesh.

The ministers said that central government must provide special package to the region, particularly Rayalaseema, and adequate funds for construction of a new capital.

They said people of the region should be allowed to avail the existing academic and health facilities to be part of Telangana till new institutes come up in Seemandhra.

The ministers urged the GoM that all these demands should be incorporated in the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill.

However, the response of the GoM to their demands was not immediately known.

The GoM yesterday cleared the draft legislation likely to be placed before the Union Cabinet tomorrow to pave the way for its tabling in Parliament.

Following the Union Cabinet's nod, the legislation will be sent to the President for his approval before being taken up by Parliament, probably next week.

The move comes days after the Andhra Pradesh Assembly rejected the Telangana Bill by voice vote, capping weeks of acrimonious drama and embarrassing Congress, which favoured creation of the separate state.

Experts are of the opinion that despite the Assembly's rejection of the bill, Parliament can go ahead with its legislative process for creation of the new state.

Parliament session which began yesterday is scheduled to conclude on February 21. This is the last session before the tenure of UPA-II comes to an end.