Delete free-zone order before Aug 13: AP CM to PC

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday requested Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to get the clause 14 (F) of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order 1965 (Presidential Order) deleted before August 13 when the written test for recruitment of police sub-inspectors is scheduled. The clause makes Hyderabad a free zone for employment in police.

Speaking to the Union Home Minister over phone, Reddy urged Chidambaram to immediately forward the relevant file to the Prime Minister for the latter's perusal. Reddy called up Chidambaram after three ministers from Telangana met him at the Camp Office this morning and mounted pressure to put off the SI written test till the clause 14 (f) is deleted.

After the phone call, the chief minister informed the three ministers -- D Sridhar Babu, Komatireddi Venkat Reddy and Basavaraj Saraiah -- that the union home minister has positively responded to his plea.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs had asked the state government to pass a fresh resolution in the Assembly seeking deletion of clause 14 (f) following which the chief minister wrote a letter to Chidambaram three days ago maintaining that adoption of another resolution on the subject was "not possible".

But with the Centre too remaining firm that a fresh resolution was essential to get the clause deleted, the state government stepped up lobbying amidst mounting pressure from Telangana protagonists for postponing the SI recruitment test.

The pro-Telangana groups have threatened to disrupt the recruitment test slated for August 13 and 14 if it was conducted with the clause 14 (f) staying. The test was postponed once last year for the same reason.