Hyderabad: In a significant development, all political parties on Saturday unanimously backed the Telangana government’s move to create new districts but asked it to do so in a scientific manner based on population and in tune with public aspiration.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who chaired the first all-party meeting attended by representatives of seven parties — TRS, Congress, Telugu Desam, MIM, BJP, CPI and CPM — promised to consider suggestions made by them.
Mr Rao promised to convene two all-party meetings, one after a fortnight from issue of notification and another after one month, to finalise the new districts.
The government has proposed 27 new districts besides increase in mandals and revenue divisions.
“We planned to have new districts ideally by Dasara. But if it takes another 8 to 10 days more, I have no problem. Government will seek opinion of all sections of people before finalising the districts after one month. We conducted an elaborate exercise,’’ Mr Rao told the meeting that lasted about two and a half hours.
The Congress and Telugu Desam pinpointed several shortcomings in the government proposals including lack of scientific approach in creating the proposed districts and insisted on guidelines besides setting up judicial commission.
He rejected the Congress plea for a judicial commission to carve out new districts saying it was not necessary since the Dis-trict Formation Act of 1974 and 1984 rules was enough.
Mr Rao made it clear that the existing Hyderabad district would be retained as it exists, as suggested by the MIM and the BJP. He turned down the plea of the Congress, Telugu Desam and Left parties for division of the capital city.
“We wanted existing Hyderabad district and the CM has agreed to it. MIM, Congress and other parties opposed merger of Shadnagar with Sham-shabad district,’’ Mr Syed Amin Jafri, MIM MLC, said.
To queries, Mr Rao hinted that going by the pronouncements of the Central government, delimitation of Assembly constituencies was likely to be delayed further and hence he was focusing on reorganisation of districts.
Congress leaders Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Mohd Ali Shabbir wanted population to be one of the main criteria for carving out districts. “How can we have Hyderabad district with 35 lakh population and four districts out of Warangal, and three districts from Ranga Reddy having population of 27 lakh,’’ Mr Vikramarka asked.
Opposition parties opposed the spilling of Assembly constituencies onto more than one district, mandals in more than one district and questioned the fate of ZPTCs and MPTCs. The Left parties asked the government to protect Girijan interests, 1/70 Act, 371D Presidential order.
