Distribution of state cadre employees faces option row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: After getting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nod for allotment of All India Service officers to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, the focus has now shifted to the distribution of state cadre employees, but it is mired in controversy.

The Centre will accord approval to the Kamalnathan Committee guidelines in a day or two, paving the way for distribution of state-cadre staff next week.

However, the distribution of state-cadre staff is complicated and is going to pose a big challenge to the Kamalnathan Committee unlike the AIS distribution for the Pratyush Sinha Committee.

The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, has a provision to provide ‘options’ to state-cadre staff to choose the state and this is leading to a tussle between TS and AP employees.

The state-cadre staff must be distributed in the ratio of 52:48 between AP and TS.

Even after this is followed, a significant number of Seemandhra employees will have to be allotted to TS, since they are more in number compared to TS.

“Out of 55 departments, the distribution of posts has been already completed in about 35 departments. Only employees have to be allotted to those posts now by taking their options. But first, the Centre has to approve Kamalnathan guidelines. Then the provisional allotment list has to be issued. Only after that, options can be taken,” said G. Devi Prasad, president, TNGOs Association.

Meanwhile, some departments have already started taking options from the employees triggering fresh controversy between AP and TS employees.