Telangana panel wants YOUR view on statehood

The Justice B N Srikrishna committee on Telangana on Saturday issued a notice seeking views and suggestions from the public, political parties and local organisations on the contentious separate statehood issue.

The notice published in all major English dailies in New Delhi and in Telugu, Hindi, English and Urdu newspapers in Andhra Pradesh said the views and suggestions should be sent within 30 days.

"On receipt of the views and suggestions and after examination of the issues, the Committee will hold wide ranging consultations with political parties, concerned associations and groups and civil society organisations as indicated in the Terms of Reference before submitting its report," it said.

The views and suggestions can be in the form of memorandum and letters, the notice issued by the panel's Member-Secretary Vinod K Duggal said.

It said the committee desires to start the consultation process as soon as possible and it intends to hold as many meetings as required at New Delhi, Hyderabad or at any other place in Andhra Pradesh.

The five-member committee has been mandated to "examine the situation in the state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh".

The notice also carries the seven-point Terms of Reference of the committee constituted by the Centre on February 3.

Other members of the committee are Ranbir Singh, vice chancellor of the National Law University, Delhi, Abu Saleh Shariff, senior research fellow in International Food Policy Research Institute, Delhi, and Rabinder Kaur, professor at the department of humanities and social sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi.

The committee has been mandated to review the developments in the state since its formation and their impact on the progress and development of different regions. The impact of recent developments on different sections of people such as women, children, students, minorities, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will also be factored in by the committee.

The committee had its first meeting on February 13 and will meet again on February 25 to formulate its strategy on moving forward on the vexed issue that has virtually divided political parties in Andhra Pradesh on regional lines.