Recommendations of the States Re-Organisation Commission

Hyderabad: This article explains the advantages of formation of Vishalaandhra for the state of Telangana This article is in continuation to the last article on the recommendations of the States Re-Organisation Commission. Demands for Hyderabad State (Chapter 7 – Section 381 to 393) Section 381 – Advantages of formation of Vishalaandhra are obvious from the […]

Hyderabad: This article explains the advantages of formation of Vishalaandhra for the state of Telangana

This article is in continuation to the last article on the recommendations of the States Re-Organisation Commission.

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Demands for Hyderabad State (Chapter 7 – Section 381 to 393)

Section 381 – Advantages of formation of Vishalaandhra are obvious from the fact that the desirability of bringing Krishna & Godavari river basins under unified control. The trade affiliations between Telangana& Andhra and suitability of Hyderabad as capital for the entire region are in favour of a bigger unit.

Section 382 – Opinion of Telangana people on Vishalaandhra at the same time one important fact is that while opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of Vishalaandhra and the public opinion in Telangana has to still crystallize which cannot be ignored.

Section 383 – The leaders of the existing Andhra state are prepared to provide adequate safeguards to protect the interests of Telangana in the event of its integration with Andhra state. These safeguards may be related to employment opportunities for people of Telangana in public services in the new state at least to the extent of 1/3rd of the total number. This assurance may be given on the lines of the ShriBagh Pact.

Section 384 – Any agreement on the lines of the ShriBagh Pact may not meet the requirements of Telangana unless the Central Government supervises the measures taken to meet the special needs of Telangana. Therefore, the SRC does not suggest any arrangement similar to the ShriBagh Pact to Telangana.

Section 385 – The state of Andhra came into existence only recently and has still not got over the stress of transition. Integration of Telangana and Andhra at this stage is therefore likely to create administrative difficulties for both Andhra and Telangana regions.

Section 386 – After taking all these factors into consideration the SRC concludes that it will be in the interest of Andhra and Telangana that for the present the Telangana area is constituted as a separate state which may be named as Hyderabad state. A provision for its unification with Andhra after general elections likely to be held in and around 1961 if by a 2/3rd majority of the legislature of Hyderabad state accepts the unification can be made.

Section 387 – The advantage of this arrangement will be that while the objective of unification of the two regions will not be blurred (neglected) or impeded during the period of 5 or 6 years, the two governments by then may stabilize their administrative machinery and review their land revenue system with the objective of achieving uniformity. The intervening period may also provide an opportunity for addressing the fears of unification and achieving consensus amongst the people of two regions.

Section 388 – However, if the public sentiment in Telangana crystallises itself against the unification of the two regions then Telangana should continue as a separate state.

Section 389 – The state of Hyderabad shall consist of the following districts:
1. Mahabubnagar
2. Nalgonda (including Maunagala enclave belonging to Krishna district)
3. Warangal including Khammam
4. Karimnagar
5. Adilabad
6. Nizamabad
7. Hyderabad
8. Medak and Bidar

Section 390  – As far as possible the existing boundaries of the two regions should not be disturbed.

Section 391 – Sironcha Tehsil of Chanda district which is geographically contagious to Telangana will continue in West Godavari district.

Section 392 – The entire district of Bidar must be included in the Hyderabad state as a part of the Medak district.

Section 393 – The Hyderabad state as suggested by SRC will have an area of about 45300 sq miles and population of about 11.3 million.

To be continued…

By Deepika Reddy
Director, Shikara Academy

Mobile No. 7702026769