Ignoring warnings about possible law and order breakdown, Andhra Pradesh government tonight gave conditional nod to the Telangana March planned for September 30 in Hyderabad by Telangana Joint Action Committee to press for the demand for a separate state.
The government that had adopted a tough stand till afternoon against the March gave in after assurance from the JAC that the agitation programme would be conducted in a peaceful manner.
The government has now permitted the JAC to conduct the march on Sunday from 3 pm to 7 pm on the Necklace Road on the edge of Hussain Sagar.
There were hectic deliberations through the day, first between ministers from Telangana and later between the ministers and the JAC leaders.
Initially Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy had refused to permit the March citing law and order problem on the eve of the Convention on Biological Diversity, slated to begin here on October 1.
The police were also against giving the permission in view of the Ganesh idol immersion expected to stretch to the afternoon on Sunday.
The Chief Minister said the government was not against the march but wanted the organisers to come out with alternative venues as there was no way it could be permitted on Tank Bund as originally planned.
He had also sought restriction on the duration of the agitation and asked the ministers to negotiate with the JAC.
Accordingly, Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy held talks with the JAC leaders and placed the alternatives before them.
On their part, the JAC leaders promised the government that they would conduct the event in a "totally peaceful and Gandhian manner" and chose Necklace Road as the venue.
Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy too intervened and spoke to the JAC leadership.
The ministers then communicated the JAC word to the Chief Minister and finally the government agreed to the venue and the march on Sunday.