Telangana Cabinet nod for districts' reorganisation

The Telangana State Cabinet at its crucial meet chaired by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the State Secretariat on Friday gave a formal nod to the much-hyped reorganizing of districts. But contrary to frantic speculation that in all 31 districts will come into being on October 11, Dasara Festival, the Cabinet did not specify the exact number of new districts. Briefing newsmen after the Cabinet meeting, Deputy Chief Ministers - KadiamSrihari and Mahmood Ali-, Home Minister NayaniNarsimha Reddy said that the reorganization of the districts has been approved and the total number of districts will be announced later. According to sources, the final notification will be released in a day or two which will have the total number of districts. They said the Cabinet had decided to go in for an ordinance for amendment in Telangana District Formation Act of 1974 to form Telangana Reorganisation Act. It also approved to set up 119 new Gurukul Schools in the State to provide better quality education from the next academic year. The Cabinet was learnt to have given permission to launch 31 districts as planned earlier though its number is to be announced soon. Inclusion of four districts -Sircilla, Jangaon, Gadwal and Asifabad-is on the cards. The Cabinet also decided to set up four new Police Commissionerates – Karimnagar, Ramagundam, Siddipet and Nizamabad- and to appoint IAS and IPS officials for new districts after releasing a



notification on the reorganisation of the districts.

The high power committee headed by TRS MP K Keshav Rao, which included ministers PocharamSrinivas Reddy, JoguRamanna and G Jagadish Reddy as its members, submitted its report on various demands related to new districts, revenue divisions and mandals to the government. Further, the Cabinet also decided to set up a Backward Class (BC) Commission and start 90 gurukul schools for the minorities and to set up tribunal to resolve the issues pertaining to illegal structures under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) purview. Other important decisions which found a place in the meeting were allocation of 15 acres to Hetero Drugs Company in Khanamet in Serilingampallymandal to set up world class cancer care hospital on the lines of Basavatarakam Cancer Trust, unified service rules in urban local bodies, to give exemption of transport tax to autos and agriculture tractors, appoint staff for the new districts based on the requirement, setting up 23 new police sub divisions, 28 new circles, 92 police stations, take Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) loans to complete 24,648 houses under GHMC purview, to call MROs as Tahsildars, to provide free bus journey facility to 321 families of police martyrs, new fire stations at Yadagirigutta and Peddashanakarampet and six villages under Vemulavada Temple Area Development Authority.