GoM not for UT status to Hyderabad - TeluguPeople.com News

New Delhi: The contours of Andhra Pradesh, post-bifurcation, are becoming clearer now. The much talked-about Union Territory status for Hyderabad is not an option for the Group of Ministers (GoM) finalising its report this week.

According to highly placed sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Group of Ministers (GoM), constituted by the UPA government to work out modalities for formation of Telangana State, is likely to recommend retaining of the contentious Article 371 D for both the States without any need for the Constitutional amendment.

Also, the draft Telangana Bill will not make any mention about the financial package for Seemandhra. A senior Minister, who is part of the GoM, told that the package was a commitment of the Congress party but it could not be made part of the Bill.

It is clear that the Centre does not want to make the package a Constitutional guarantee. However, the proposal for a separate capital to be developed for Seemandhra would find mention in the bill.

The GoM, which wound up the process of consultations on Monday, held another round of meeting with the officials of the MHA on Tuesday to finalise its report which could be incorporated in the draft Telangana Bill. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has already announced that the GoM would finalise the report at its meeting on November 21.

Sources said the draft Bill would come up before the Union Cabinet on November 21 or in case of any last minute modifications, it would be cleared in the next Cabinet meeting on November 28.

It would then be referred to the State Assembly through President of India Pranab Mukherjee immediately.According to sources, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly is likely to meet from December 1.

The GoM sources hinted that the Assembly would be given two weeks to voice its opinion. That, however, leaves a crucial two or three days before the winter session of Parliament gets over.

There is also a constitutional obligation for the State government to convene the Assembly session within a maximum period of six months from the concluding day of the previous session.

The six month gap between the two successive sessions, permitted by the Constitution, ends on December 20. The previous session of the Assembly had its last sitting on June 20.

Assembly Secretary S Raja Sadaram met Chief Secretary PK Mohanty on Tuesday at Secretariat to discuss issues related to the legislature. Deputy Secretary of the Assembly K Satyanarayana Rao said that if the Centre sends the bill in November, the session would be held in the last week of the month. He made it clear that the convening of the Assembly session was the prerogative of the Chief Minister.

The Assembly did not have monsoon session this time as the bifurcation decision was announced on July 30 by Congress Working Committee which was followed by prolonged agitation in the Seemandhra region.

Interestingly, contrary to the impression being given by the Seemandhra leaders, there will be no voting on the draft bill as per the constitutional procedure.

If the Assembly does not meet or debate the bill in the given specific time, the President will consider that the bill is deemed to have been referred and will go ahead with the next step of sending it to the Union Cabinet.