In a move that is bound to raise the hackles of Telangana protagonists and hopes among Andhras, the State Government on Saturday included 15 more villages in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
According to GO Ms 407 issued by the Municipal Administration & Urban Development Department, areas covered by the following gram panchayats will be included in GHMC limits with immediate effect: Satamrai, Kothwalguda (Shamshabad mandal); Narsingi, Vattinagulapalli, Neknampur, Puppalguda, Khanapur, Bandlaguda jagir, Kismatpur, Himayatsagar, Peeramcheruvu, Hydershakot (Rajendranagar mandal); Nizampet (Qutbullahpur mandal); Kalwancha (Hayatnagar mandal) and Kothapeta (Saroornagar mandal).
Significantly, the GO comes after the elected council of the GHMC flatly rejected the proposal to merge these panchayats with the corporation. Corporators belonging to almost all parties — Congress, MIM, TDP, BJP and TRS — were unanimous on this point when the council debated the issue some two months ago. However, going by the contents of the GO, the government is taking refuge under a technical clause that the resolution of the GHMC elected council on the merger proposal has not come “within the stipulated time”.
In normal course, such a move would not have raised eyebrows. But, leaders belonging to the Congress, TRS and MIM, are seeing a bigger game behind this, given the current situation when the status of Hyderabad has become a bone of contention.
Apart from the fact that the GHMC limits will be considered for the purpose of having Hyderabad as joint capital for both Telangana and Seemandhra, it is more than likely that any concessions that the Centre might consider offering as part of the “protective measures” for Andhras settled in the city would be made applicable to all areas covered by the corporation. According to highly-placed sources, Delhi may not make Hyderabad a Union Territory but is moving towards applying a lot of provisions associated with a UT to the city as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure that the division process becomes smooth.
Top Congress leaders are said to have opened a channel of communication with TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao on the “concessions” that could be offered to Seemandhra in respect of Hyderabad but to what extent these discussions have progressed is still not known.