Hyderabad: Stalemate over amending the Presidential Order and also determining the domicile status of people living in Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh after the state’s division is a cause of worry and mental agony to students, their parents and also employees working in both states.
The bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh has created unexpected problems for people of both the states with regard to their domicile status due to which a number of employees and students have moved the courts. The stalemate over amending the Presidential Order has become a hurdle for both states to implement the unified rules for teachers. The Apex Court has also suggested the Centre to amend the Presidential Order.
The Union of India had incorporated Article 371 (D) in the Constitution by way of 32 amendments to the Constitution in 1974 with a view to safeguard the rights of locals in employment and education after the Telangana and Jai Andhra movements in the early 70s. Pursuant to the amendment, a Presidential Order was issued in 1975 determining the local status of citizens residing in Rayalaseema, Telangana and Coastal Andhra regions of erstwhile AP.
The Presidential Order mandates local status on the basis of a minimum period of four years study or residence in a particular area. After the bifurcation of AP, this order has become a contentious issue for employees and students for determining their local status and domicile.
Many state government employees, who have to shift base from the common capital Hyderabad to the new capital of AP at Amaravathi, are now worried about the local status of their children. The children, who will shift to AP, will not qualify for four years education as is required.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has already asked the central government to amend the Presidential Order to extend benefit of local status to the affected people. The Telangana government is also facing the same problem, as it can’t implement the Unified Rules for the teachers working in schools run by municipalities and zilla parishads. When a few teachers had moved the Supreme Court seeking implementation of Unified Rules, the Apex Court had also suggested an amendment of the Presidential Order, as it could not pass any order in view of the existence of the 1975 Order.
According to deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr Kadiam Srihari, the state government has decided to request the Centre for amendment of the Presidential Order so as to implement the Unified Rule for teachers. The file is currently with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for his consideration.
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh staff move courts on criteria for local status
Several aggrieved employees and students have moved the HC against the TS and AP governments’ fixing of criteria to determine local status. TS power utilities have repatriated to about 12,000 employees to AP; their fate is uncertain despite a court order. Another batch of employees from the TS power utilities have approached the HC challenging the division of the state into north and south zones for recruitment. Several students of Padmavathi Medical College had to go to the Supreme Court against a decision by the AP government in fixing the local area of the college, which deprived them of seats. There are also several cases challenging the GO 610, issued in the undivided state, to repatriate non-locals.
HC advocate K. Lakshmi Narasimha said the court had upheld the validity of the GO but individual cases were undecided. Senior counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy said the Presidential Order would not be applicable to government corporations. An amendment of the 1975 Order was required to bring teachers working in municipalities, zilla parishad, and government schools under one rule.
