HYDERABAD: The proposal to create new districts in the state appears to be becoming a bone of contention among local politicos belonging to each district. At the same time, the issue is said to be creating differences among various associations of employees on the issue of 'zonal system'.
The differences prevailing among local politicians on the contours of new districts and disagreement among employees' leaders on zonal system was evident, during the maiden exercise of the newly setup Group of Ministers (GoM) on creation of new districts, which began at MCRHRD institute here on Friday.
The panel members including deputy chief ministers K Srihari and Md Mahmood Ali along with ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and E Rajender, interacted with leaders of employees' associations and elicited their views on the issues that they are expected face in the new districts.
According to sources, during the meeting, employees belonging to districts other than Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad urged the ministerial panel to recommend to the chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to exert pressure on the Centre to amend Article 371 (D) to scrap zonal system in the state.
“Zonal system has never done justice to Telangana employees. Hence, we submitted our plea against the system to the GoM. Our view is that if district is considered as a unit, then justice will be done to unemployed youth during job recruitments,” TNGO leader G Devi Prasad told reporters after the meeting.
However, according to sources, some of the employee leaders, belonging to Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, opposed the proposal tooth and nail, saying that scrapping of zonal system would do harm to employees in these two districts.
“The talks with leaders of employees’ associations ended inconclusive as there was no agreement among all the stakeholders over the issue of whether to continue the zonal system or to put an end to it. Hence, the Cabinet panel is likely to hold another meeting with them in a couple of days,” sources said.
Later, when the ministerial panel met people's representatives from Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts, separately, it is learnt that differences cropped up among local leaders on the boundaries of the proposed districts, which will be carved out of these districts.
Sources said there was a broader agreement among all to carve a new district out of Adilabad with its headquarters locating at Nirmal. Likewise, the proposal to create Kamareddy district by splitting the existing Nizamabad district also got majority leaders’ nod.
Similarly, there was an agreement among leaders on dividing Medak district into Medak, Siddipet and Sangareddy districts.
However, leaders reportedly crossed swords with each other on the contours of the new districts as no politico from each of these districts is ready to lose some of the existing mandals in the present district to the proposed districts.
After holding similar meetings for another two days, the panel will submit a report to the chief minister on the contours of new districts. Based on the report, the chief minister will finalise the shape of new districts, which are likely to come into existence by Dasara.