Answers to Common Questions on Telangana issue - Analysis by Katta VIjay

1.) There are 10 districts in Telangana, 9 in Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema. Out of these 7 districts in Telangana, 3 in Andhra and 1 in Rayalaseema are considered severely backward districts which means 70% of districts in Telangana are backward while in Andhra it is 35% and in Rayalaseema it is 25%. Apart from these there are some areas in all parts of the state which are also backward.
Ans:
List of districts in Telangana – Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal,Khammam, Medak, Rangareddy,Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Hyderabad. Out of these, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Khammam, Hyderabad, Rangareddy cannot be categorized as backward districts.
List of districts in Rayalaseema – Kurnool, Kadapa, Ananthapur, Chittoor. Of these Ananthapur, Kadapa and some parts of Chittoor are backward, with Ananthapur being the worst-hit district of whole AP.
List of districts in Coastal Andhra – Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram, Srikakulam. Of these, Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam (other than Vizag City), Prakasam, Western parts of Krishna, Guntur (Palnadu area), Godavari (Manyam area) districts are considered backward (compared to the non-backward areas of Telangana).
Clearly, the above statement is more of a prejudiced opinion than a fact.

2)
45% of the state income comes from Telangana region. When it comes to utilization of funds, the share of Telangana is only 28%.
Ans:
As was pointed out by some members here, the income from hyderabad and rangareddy districts forms a major share of this income. This income
mostly comes from the sectors of Real Estate, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and IT industries. Not to instigate any regional feelings here, but it is worth noting that many of these companies (excluding IT sector to some extent) are owned by non-Telanganites.

3)
Normally canals are dug to supply water to the crops from rivers for cultivation. The amount of land cultivated through canals in just Guntur district is more than the land cultivated with canals in entire Telangana region.
Ans:
Not true. Guntur district irrigated area is 6,78,197 acres (http://irrigation.cgg.gov.in/dp/GunturDistrictProfile.jsp). Karimnagar district irrigated area is 6,47,402 acres (http://irrigation.cgg.gov.in/dp/KarimnagarDistrictProfile.jsp. Note that 1 Hectare = 2.471 acres).

4)

Nagarjuna sagar dam is built in Nalgonda district which is in Telangana but majority of the water from the dam is used for Krishna and Guntur district. The original dam was supposed to be build much ahead of its present location but the location was changed so that it falls in the
Telangana region. Due to the construction of the dam several hectares of Lime stone mines vanished as part of the dam back waters. Everyone know that lime stone is used for producing cement. Even the natural resources were not allowed to remain.
Ans:
A bit of a history here – Nagarjuna Sagarproject was originally conceived by the British, around 1903, with Siddeswaram and Pulichintala as possible balancing reservoir sites. Unfortunately, these proposals did not materialize. Floods in Krishna river used to devastate Krishna district, while Guntur and Nalgonda were drought prone. As part of the first five-year plan, Nehru Govt. appointed Khosla committee to examine and report on the optimum and most beneficial utilization of Krishna River waters. The recommendations of the Committee, which were later endorsed by the Planning Commission in December, 1952, are to construct Nandikonda Dam across Krishna River with full reservoir level at +590.00 feet with canals taking off on either side. Water allocated to the Project is 281 TMC. The foundation stone of the Dam was laid by the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on 10.12.1955. (It is worth noting here that Andhra Pradesh state was formed in 1956, after the dam foundation was laid. It is outrageous to spread the idea that there’s a conspiracy by the Andhrites in shifting the location of the site, when the state itself was not in existence.)
Another piece of interesting information on the background of Nagarjuna Sagar –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_of_Muktyala#Achievements.
"Raja spent fifty two lakhs of rupees (in 1950s) as a matching grant for the project construction". What is the investment of Telangana in this project, while reaping the benefits of the project and yet promoting the idea that injustice was done ?
Regarding Limestone quarries, there are enough limestone reserves to support a host of cement industries.For more info – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggaiahpet#Economy.
Statements that non-telangana regions conspired against Telangana people are false theories spread by people with vested interests.

5)
Fluorinated water problem is only in Nalgonda district which has not been resolved since decades.
Ans:
This is not a problem specific to Nalgonda district and the statement that no efforts have been made to resolve this issue is not true. This problem existed in many other districts as well (Adilabad, Anantpur, Chittoor, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nellore, Prakasam, Ranga Reddy, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Warangal, West Godavari). For more info –http://cgwb.gov.in/gw_profiles/st_ap.htm.
The state has initiated (RWS) schemes to resolve this problem. While the majority of drinking water works for Ananthapur district was sponsored by the Satyasai Organizationhttp://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/Service_Projects/Anantapur.htm), the state has sponsored the schemes in Telangana districts. Anyone could see the injustice being done to Rayalaseema here, in favor of Telangana. Yet, the hate speeches organized by Telangana theorists twist this "fact".
Another piece of info that I know firsthand here – The RWS scheme was first proposed in Nizamabad district by the then Chief Engineer Mr U.Kutumba Rao (incidentally, he’s from the Andhra Region’s Krishna district) and he made sure that the funds were released by the then TDP govt (thanks to Late Sri Karanam Ramachandra Rao, Minister of TDP Govt). No Telangana Politician thought about this for decades together and yet they somehow attribute this problem to Telangana discrimination !!!
Reg. the Nalgonda district, efforts to supply krishna water to the affected districts is almost nearing completion (thanks to the proposal by TDP Govt and Implementation by the Congress Govt.)

6)

Two major rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra enter the state of AP in the district of Mahaboobnagar (the biggest district in Telangana) but the district always remains the worst draught hit areas along with Anantapur because there is no project and process with which the water can be utilized. The plans for utilization has been pending for decades.
Ans:
To put things in perspective, we need to look at the background of the drought conditions. Agriculture in this district has been primarily done by borewells since long back and indiscriminate increase of this usage, over decades, led to depletion of ground water levels. The contours and the percentage of arable land in this district doesn’t help either (Anantapur fares much worse in that the forest cover is only 5%, whereas Mahabubnagar has a forest cover of 16%). The eastern part is upland/hilly and the majority of the soil is Red Chalka type. This district is mostly a catchment area for the rivers, which means this is not really plain land. Govts over the years have tried to implement various measures such as watershed projects (through Desert Development Programmes, Drought Prone Region Development Programmes etc), Small check dams and drip irrigation schemes. The efforts of the Govts led to an increase in ground water level and rejuvenation of around 31000 borewells.
This is not to say that the Govts have done enough. Much more needs to be done here, which has not been done so far.
Currently, Nettempadu Lift Irrigation Project, Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Project and Rajiv Lift Irrigation Projects are being implemented and upon their completion, this district will hopefully be no more categorized as drought-prone.

7)

In Telangana regions, only few areas cultivate one crop a year and very rarely two crops a year while most of the land doesn’t even cultivate
single crop. In both the Godavari districts, Krishna and Guntur district, two crops a year is common and there are times where even 3 crops a year are cultivated. The only reason is WATER.

Ans:
Not all regions of Godavari/Krishna/Guntur cultivated three crops a year. And this is not the reality anymore, particularly for Krishna river basin. The water for second crop itself is not guaranteed anymore (Pulichintala is the solution for this).

33% of the population in Mahaboobnagar district have left the district for livelihood to different parts of the state due to draught and majority of them are working as daily labour. No other district has so many people who fled the home place due to lack of livelihood and working as daily labour.

Ans:
This is not a problem unique to Mahabubnagar. Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts have the same problem. The problem in Mahabubnagar district is conveniently projected as a Telangana issue.

9)
Dairy development corporation of AP purchases milk from farmers across the state for distribution. For the same milk, in Andhra, the government pay Rs. 24 to the farmers and in Telangana they pay Rs. 22 per litre. Partiality is shown even in milk

Ans:
Milk procurement price is dependent on various quality parameters, one of them being the fat content. For eg., Mahabubnagar district in the 90s produced milk with low fat content (reasons ranged from feeding practices and quality cattle, to diluting milk with water). The then Govt installed Technical Assistance Services to implement bank credits for procuring quality cattle, cattle insurance, cattle vaccinations, Milk testing centers etc. This led to increase in Milk production, Fat content (from 6% to 7.3%) and an increase of profits for Milk producers (in Wanaparthy segment alone, there was an increase of 40laks in profit, in 3 years). The point to be noted here is that there’s no discrimination done here, as projected by the statement above.
In fact, the AP dairy federation’s Milk Procurement Price ranges from Rs.25.50 to Rs. 28.00/Ltr for Buffalo milk and Rs. 11.91 to Rs. 12.53/Ltr for Cow milk.

10)

In between 2005-2008 government sold lands worth Rs. 20000 crores in and around Hyderabad which was utilized to build projects in Rayalaseema and Andhra.

Ans:
Properties were sold not just in Hyderabad. This happened in Vijayawada and Vizag as well to some extent. The figure of 20000 crores itself is highly debatable. Added to that, the Govt has spent (and has been spending) on the following Telangana projects -
1. Alisagar Lift Irrigation Project
2. J. Chokka Rao Project (Phase I and II)
3. Gutpa Lift Irrigation Project
4. Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project
5. Sriram Sagar Project (Phase I and II) and the flood canal
6. Bhima Lift Irrigation project
7. Sripada Rao Lift Irrigation project
8. Dummugudem project
9. Kalwakurthi Lift Irrigation Project
10. Nettempadu Lift Irrigation Project
11. Lendi Project
12. Suddavagu, Peddavagu, Palemvagu, Gollavagu, Ralivagu, Mathadivagu, Modikuntavagu and Gundlavagu projects
13. Komuram Bheem Project
14. Koilsagar Lift Irrigation Scheme
15. Kinnerasani Project
16. Ichampally Project (Govt has been trying to resolve longstanding interstate issues and is trying to get national project status for this. It is worth noting that no Telangana leader/intellectual has tried to get these issues
resolved or lobbied for the national status and yet non-telangana regions are somehow blamed for non-implementation of this project.)
It should also be noted that many of these projects are lift-based. This is due to the topography of the Telangana region (Deccan Plateau). The power ‘consumption’ for operating/maintaining these projects are enormous. For eg. the Nettempadu, Kalwakurty and Devadula projects require 1200MW of power. On the other hand, the Pulichintala project will add 120MW and Polavaram project will add 960 MW of power ‘production’.

11)

Not even a single project was completed in Telangana in the last 5 years while several projects were completed in Andhra and Rayalaseema.

Ans:
Another baseless statement. The following projects in Telangana regions have become operational in the last 5 years -
1. Devadula Lift Irrigation Project (Phase I) (benefits 60,000 acres) became operational in March, 2008.
2. Alisagar Lift Irrigation Project (benefits 54,000 acres) became operational in November, 2007.
3. A. Madhava Reddy Project(Phase I) (benefits 50,000 acres) became operational in September, 2006.
Compared to this, the following projects became operational in Andhra/Rayalaseema region -
1. Pushkara Lift Irrigation in East Godavari district (mostly to the non-irrigated North and Westerm parts of the district). This project benefits 80,000 acres.
2. Tadipudi Lift Irrigation scheme, mostly for providing drinking water to the water-starved upland mandals of West Godavari district, is partially Operational.
3. Brahmamsagar Project (benefits 50,000 acres) in Cuddapah district
4. Pedderu Reservoir (benefits 13,000 acres) in Visakhapatnam district
5. Jhanjhavati Project (benefits 9000 acres) in Vizianagaram district
Further details can be obtained at http://ppms.cgg.gov.in/Reports.do (login as guest/guest).

12)
3 TMC of water from Gandipet is sufficient to supply drinking water to our city. Every year 1700 TMC of water is wasted and is flown into Bay of Bengal from river Godavari. Starting from Nizambad to Bay of Bengal there is no project allowed to build on Godavari. If it is built leaders in Godavari districts fear that the fertile lands in the area may fall short of water. If the Godavari water is utilized properly, there will be no scarcity for food grains in our state.

Ans:
The statement is contradicting itself. Godavari districts are not using the 1700 tmc water, as the statement says. What would they gain, by blocking projects that utilize this water ? 1700 tmc is equivalent to more than 4 Nagarjunasagar reservoirs ! And 1200 tmc is way above the requirements of telangana region, which means there will still be water left to sea. Why would Godavari districts block when they have no use of this water ?
Also, "no project allowed" implies blaming non-telangana region. Who ‘allows’ the projects ?? If the allegation is that there is politicial interference, then the Telangana MLAs are more in number, compared to Godavari districts. Why didn’t anyone resort to such ‘Aamarana Deeksha’ for getting projects built ? Telangana leaders/intellectuals conveniently cover up the fact that longstanding interstate issues existed between Maharashtra, (the now) Chattisgarh and AP for Ichampally Project. Why haven’t any of these leaders/intellectuals helped the Govt in these issues, if they’re so interested ? They also do not mention that the Sripada Sagar dam is one of the larger capacity dams built on Godavari river for the benefit of Telanagana region, after AP was formed.
Godavari dists are mostly irrigated based on the projects/canals built by the british (other than the new dowleswaram barrage). They couldn’t even get new projects implemented for benefitting the backward western parts (the manyam areas) and they’re being blamed for blocking Telangana projects.

Source: http://jabilli.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/question-answers-about-telangana/

Curtains Down for Telangana? --- Analysis by MBS Prasad

Delhi’s attitude is becoming clearer. They won’t go back on their word. They’ll see that assembly tables the T (elengana)-resolution. Whether it gets passed there or not, they will take it up in parliament. This is what they told bluntly when MLAs from C(Coastal) and R (Rayalaseema) met them. They said “You have misled us thru hypocrisy and you want to place all the blame at our doorstep. You pay for your sins and pacify your electorate. That is not our funeral.” Does this mean Congress gave up C & R? Here lies the rub, I am afraid. There is something lurking between the lines. As per them, the resolution has to be tabled and it is not imperative to see that it is passed. Congress has no history of issuing whips (a command asking all the party members to vote on party lines under the threat of expulsion) in such matters. Other parties too might follow the suit. When there is no whip, party members might vote region-wise. 175 members from C & R regions might vote against state-division bill. Out of the 119 from T region, some MLAs from certain districts (Hyderabad, RR, Khammam etc.) might vote against. The real estate sector opposing separation might chip in with moneybags. Probably Rajagopal was counting on these factors when he said 225 would against the bill. But assembly’s approval of division is not mandatory. It is advisory in nature but it conveys a message that everyone in T is not asking for separation. The bill then goes to parliament. KCR has been telling us he did lot of lobbying in Delhi for years together and gathered strength for T bill. Let us see the chances of winning there. Sharad Pawar backed out. DMK said firm ‘no’. Mamata too. BJP and BSP are the large parties supporting the bill. Among BJP allies - Shiv Sena is against the bill due to Vidarbha problem. Nitish says he would rather welcome merger of Jharkhand into Bihar rather than splitting any state further. In the third front, CPM and its allies oppose and CPI supports the bill. The minor ones like Ajit Singh’s etc. may count up to 25 votes more, maximum Everything depends upon what Congress does. In the absence of whip, many state units oppose the bill. Maharashtra CM is already on record that he is against divisions. Every other state has some or other problem in the shape of SC classification, SC status for certain castes, inclusion into BC list etc. Why add another one, they might think. ‘T problem concerns people in T only. Why stir up hornet’s nest here for their sake’ they might reason. Even BJP finds it hard to convince its Karnataka unit in view of separate Coorg demand. No whip means No T bill, one can safely conclude. Probably this is what Chidambaram and co. told JC Diwakar Reddy and Co. This way high command does not lose its face in T and does not displease C & R. But this definitely angers voters in T and Congress would be taught a lesson. Is Congress prepared for this? They must be banking upon weak public memory. Next assembly elections are four and a half years away. This anger might die down. In 1971 Congress hijacked TPS lock, stock and barrel by luring Chenna Reddy and co., who led 1969 separate T agitation. T people felt bitter but did not carry the grouse till next elections. They elected Congress again in 1977. By giving T now, Congress is bound to lose C & R, much bigger state than T Again there is no guarantee that Congress gets the benefit in T. Initial advantage goes to TRS and where TRS is weak, Congress has to compete with TDP, whose cadre in T is strong. Even if TRS offers to join Congress, local Cong. Leaders oppose it for fear of losing tickets for TRS candidates. And mercurial KCR’s record does not show him a reliable ally. Cong; has another option postponing the issue by keeping assembly in suspended animation or appointing a commission. Supposing the commission submits its report in 2012, govt. has to take some action displeasing some or the other area and since 2014 would not be far away repercussions might be drastic. So Congress decided to take up T issue on now-or-never basis and wants to resolve the issue once and for all, I think. Caveat – This piece is written applying pure logic and the writer is not endowed with any supernatural powers to predict or any inside information. Take it or leave it, but do not attribute any motives, please. Source : http://greatandhra.com/ganews/viewnews.php?id=18083&cat=10&scat=25 MBS Prasad mbsprasad@gmail.com

how we are going to handle these issues after separate statehood???

If Hyderabad is made capital of Telangana, it is Andhra which needs to build new capital. So central funds will (have to) go to Andhra but not telangana. So what additional funds you are getting by dividing state for development of telangana region????

If Hyderabad is made union territory, both Andhra and telangana have to build new capitals. Its means much of funds needs to be invested in infrastructure. So what kind of development and welfare schemes can you take up?

we are unable to get any development package for telangana when -There are 42 - KCR is a central minister -Telangana is a key election issue How can you get funds with just 17 MP's?

Govt of AP has brought huge amounts of loans and invested in development of Hyderabad, irrigation projects, infrastructure etc. Telangana would also get its share and would have enough debt burden on your head. How do govt handle it?

When many of Indian states have developed their infrastructure and trying to grab their share in FDI / private investments, we would be starting to build our capital itself. Do you think this is right time for TELANGANA?

If Hyderabad is given to telangana:

Hyderabad is known for IT and ITES which are highly non reliable sectors as -These industries can be easily relocated to other parts of India -Highly dependent of world economy -Highly dependent of govt policies of US and Europe. -These industries are almost reached its peak.

What is govt plan to create reliable sources of income?

More than 95% of jobs are there in private sector and govt can hold reservations for the state anyway. How does creation of new state would improve job opportunities for telangana people?

India and its states are trying their best to attract investment. Why are you seeing investment from other Andhra regions as a treat/monopoly?

Hyderabad would definitely lose some investments to other cities (Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai etc) because of current political instability. It would definitely impacts telangana people. How do you handle it?

How People are misleaded in Telangana Issue???

Distortion of facts
The allegation that Telangana region has not developed or has developed less than the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions is totally baseless. Actually, after the formation of the linguistic state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, it is the Telangana region that has fared much better than the other two regions. This is not surprising because the capital city of Hyderabad is in the Telangana region.

It is a universally acknowledged that development takes place most in and around the capital city. This is true of even the city of Delhi. A foreign writer described Delhi an artificial city because, in its enormous development, it is not representative of the rest of India. Actually, the same is true of most of national capitals and even of state capitals in a federation.

The clamour for separation comes normally from the regions away from the capital. In the case of Telangana, surprisingly, the clamour for separation is from the region which has benefited most. However a little probe would establish that the clamour is not from the grassroots but from the self-seeking political brokers.

Greater beneficiary
After 1956, most of the institutional and industrial developments have taken place in and around the capital city of Hyderabad, though the city had no infrastructural facilities like power, water, transport, access to a port etc. It didn’t have even abundant raw material resources. Because of the Central and State investments, many ancillary Industries have sprung up in this region. The necessary personnel to man the industries have migrated to Hyderabad not only from Andhra Pradesh but from other parts of India as well. This phenomenon has benefited Telangana most. The rest of Andhra Pradesh didn’t see such development, but the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions are not grumbling.

As far as irrigation is concerned, before the formation of the state in 1956, there were no irrigation projects except Nizamsagar in Telangana region. There were some projects in the other two regions like Dhawaleswaram dam on Godavari, Prakasam barrage on Krishna, KC canal from Tungabhadra, dam on Penna , Kanigiri reservoir etc. After the formation of the State, Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam, Somasila. Sriramsagar, Lower Maneru projects have come up. Of these, Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects have benefited both Telangana and Andhra regions. Somasila benefited Nellore district for irrigation, besides supplying drinking water to Tirupati and Chennai. Sriramsagar and Lower Maneru projects are exclusively for the benefit of Telangana. Considering all these it can not be said that Telangana has been deprived by any stretch of imagination.

After the formation of the State, it is the Telangana region that has developed industrially most. Also, all the major service industries like IT and Tourism etc. have developed mostly in Hyderabad city and around. The other two regions have remained virtually stagnant. They remained agricultural as they were at the inception, barring the lone exception of Visakhapatnam.

The other absurd allegation that Telangana has been exploited by the rest of Andhra Pradesh is a travesty of facts. The capital has flown from rest of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana, and not the other way round. The flow of capital has been only a one way street. The generation of employment consequent to fresh investment has taken place only in Telangana region, particularly, in and around Hyderabad. There is nothing surprising about the industries tapping, for technically trained manpower requirements from all over the country, and from other regions of Andhra Pradesh.

Lack of mass base
In spite of such impeachable facts about the development of the Telangana region, if there is still a clamour for separation, it can only be because of the politically disgruntled class and other vested interests and self-seeking government employees. It is worth noting that the TRS which spearheads the movement for separation has seen a gradual decrease in its share of the voters in the various elections that have taken place in recent years. Had the TRS had a real mass base, it would not be craving for alliances with other parties. The very fact that the TRS is eagerly searching for political partners would show how diffident it is. Likewise, political parties too want to jump on the band wagon with an eye on the ensuing elections.

It needs to be noted that Telangana started from a lower development base. For ages, it was under the Nizam’s rule, whereas the rest of Andhra Pradesh was under the British rule, which was relatively better off, with greater facilities for education under the British government and lesser social suppression of the weaker classes.

Inequalities between regions because of historical and other reasons are such that they cannot be wiped off in a day. What is needed is to judge whether regional imbalances are being gradually minimized over a period. Judged by this standard, Telangana region has benefited more by its integration than the other two regions. Thus the shoe is on the other foot.

A slogan of culture of Telangana being in jeopardy and that its self-respect is damaged is again a bogey. In these days of global integration, no region’s culture is in tact. Every region benefits from its exposure to global culture. Concepts like individual dignity and freedom from servility have spread even in a stifled atmosphere of Telangana region after the formation of the state. If separate Telangana should happen, there is the danger of a reversion to the original state - when the servant can not see the master in the eye and he will be obliged to carry his chappals. Such slavery was widespread in Telangana region and not in the rest of Andhra Pradesh.

Pining for slaves
The dominant castes/ classes feel deprived because, after integration, they don’t enjoy their old power and privileges. In a separate Telangana, it is exactly the minorities, the dalits, the tribes from the hills, and the landless working class that will suffer the most and will see an erosion of their dignity and relative freedom which they have slowly got after integration. The so called loss of culture or self-respect is more a call for the restoration of the old privileges on the part of the exploiters than anything else.

Historically speaking, the word Telangana originally meant only a region of the Telugu speaking people. The Telugus were united under 1) Andhrasathavahanas, 2) Kakatiyas 3) Vijayanagara empire and 4) even Nizam before certain districts were ceded by him to the British. It is interesting to know that, at the beginning of the 16th century, it was the coastal and adjoining region that was shown as Telangana in a Map from the book “India-A History” by John Keay (Page: 280) Publisher: Harper Collins.(Copy enclosed).

The formation of a separate state of Andhra Pradesh is a culmination of the dream of all Telugu people and the result of the sacrifices of so many patriotic people. The dream should not be allowed to be shattered by the machinations of a few short-sighted, self-seeking, and power-hungry, political activists. The political parties are toeing the line and are aligning only for drawing political mileage. They have no other interest except self- interest and short term gain.

The so-called “sentiment” (which is more a catchy slogan) is limited to the power brokers. If at all there is some “sentiment, it is because of the ignorance of the masses and because the relevant facts and figures are not made known to them. So there is an urgent need to make available the correct facts and figures to the masses and to educate them. This can best be done by the government in power.

The Telangana movement has been whipped up at different points of time by the politically disgruntled elements. Similarly, a counter movement for a separate Andhra region was also seen in the past. The Central leadership of those times stood rock-like and didn’t yield. There is a need to exhibit the same determination even today when political morality in generally is at its lowest ebb.

If Central leadership yields to every passing whims of “sentiment” or to the machinations of the self-declared defenders of regional interests, it will eventually lead to the balkanization of the country.

There are a number of Hindi speaking states. But that exception apart, linguistic states have a cultural unity of their own, and this unity deserves to be nurtured and promoted.

There is yet another aspect of the matter. The Dalits and minorities have a unity all over the country which the rest of the population doesn’t enjoy. So the Dalits and minorities will have a greater say in a larger state. They are more vulnerable in a smaller state.

Telangana's Growth after Andhra Pradesh's Formation

In 1955-56, there were about 22,000 schools in Andhra and Rayalseema regions whereas during the same period Telangana region had hardly 8000 schools. After about 50 years, the numbers rose to about 55,000 in Andhra and Rayalseema regions as against (about) 41,000 schools in Telangana region. Thus the percentage growth in the Telangana region was 413% whereas it was just about 155% in the other two regions put together.

Likewise, the percentage growth of enrolment in the Telangana region was about 916% whereas the growth was just 235% in Andhra and Rayalseema regions. Similarly there was a phenomenal increase in the number of teachers recruited in Telangana Region (366%), where as it was just normal (130%) in Andhra and Rayalseema region. Similar is the picture in respect of collegiate education too.

Barring one in Warangal and a few in the city of Hyderabad, there were absolutely no Science and Arts colleges in Telangana districts up to 1955-56, since there was no educational or other development worth its name till then. This was in direct contrast to what prevailed in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

In short, the formation of A.P. in 1956 was a boon to the children of Telangana region, (both urban and rural) and to-day they enjoy facilities for every type of education at their door step.

Likewise, the formation of the State also heralded a new era of agricultural development in the Telangana region in that, several irrigation facilities were launched resulting in phenomenal growth of different crops like rice, (284%) Cotton (1472%) and so on. The detailed statistical tables and the graphics abstracted from authentic government sources running to several pages - are being appended.

Even a casual browsing of the above figures would establish how shallow the bogey of “non-development” is, raised by those spearheading the Telangana agitation. While deciding an issue of this nature emotions and sentiments cannot obviously play a part and this is exactly what the so called leaders are arousing and playing with.

Nineteenth Century politics over Telangana

To understand the tumult in Andhra Pradesh now, one should imagine what would happen in Tamil Nadu if a new state of North Tamil Nadu, along with Chennai, is carved out; or the consternation in Karnataka if South Karnataka with Bengaluru is carved out as a separate State.

For the first time, a region with a large capital city wants to separate as a State. So far, every demand for a new State has been from far-flung areas away from the State capital. Hyderabad is not just another city. It is on par with Chennai and Bengaluru, and with 85 lakh people, accounts for over 25 per cent of the population of Telangana and 60 per cent of the economy of the region. Millions from all over the country and the various regions of AP have made it their home.

Every significant political, business or civil society leader has made Hyderabad home, and is emotionally attached to the city, even if the political base may be elsewhere. In such a situation, the all-too-casual approach to separate Statehood is calamitous.

Losing resources

There are serious economic issues to be examined on the issue of carving out a separate State in Andhra Pradesh. First, the capital city is a serious bone of contention, and once people and investors lose faith in the future, it will decline rapidly.

This will hurt both Andhra Pradesh and India, because large cities are now important clusters of growth, and if a Mumbai or Delhi faces economic hardship, the whole nation will be impacted by the fallout.

Second, parts of the coastal region are agriculturally well-developed and have resources and surpluses. For instance, the coastal region generates surplus revenues in the power sector, and is subsidising power for farmers in Telangana and Rayalaseema. A separate State will be burdened by an unviable power sector.

Costal regions are always engines of growth all over the world. Telangana is land-locked, and losing the costal region would retard growth and opportunities. Again, this is the first time a land-locked region is seeking to separate from the coastal belt. When passions subside, the pain and deprivation will be felt.

Water resources are always a bone of contention in a monsoon-fed country. Even in a relatively well-managed city of Mumbai, enjoying abundant rainfall on the West coast, water riots took a life recently. In a water-starved region, river water disputes will escalate, and sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters will be a nightmare.

In the K-G basin off the Andhra coast, abundant natural gas reserves have recently been found, and are being tapped. Already, there is the challenge of sharing natural resources between the home State and the rest of India, and now Telangana will be further depleted.

Large, unviable lift irrigation projects — at a capital cost of Rs 3-4 lakh per acre and Rs 40,000 per year per acre maintenance cost — have been unwisely proposed in Telangana. They will be a permanent drain on the economy of the region, undermining it without ensuring benefits.

Politics of inclusion

Poverty, backwardness, corruption, lack of opportunity and unemployment are endemic to many of the country's States and sub-regions. These are caused by failed policies, misgovernance and the politics of plunder, leading to kleptocracy.

Large parts of Telangana and Rayalaseema, most of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, upland areas of delta districts, and many families suffering discrimination by birth in every village — all of them are victims of terrible misgovernance and political failure.

The perpetuation of poverty and under-development is largely the result of the plunder of local politicians and bureaucrats. A change of the State's name or boundaries or capital will not alter anything.

The need of the hour is to accelerate growth and promote equity and opportunities. What every sub-region of Andhra Pradesh, indeed every part of India, needs is empowerment of people, district governments and third-tier of federalism to help people fulfil their potential.

We cannot use 19^th century notions of divisive politics in a 21^th century world

Source: The HINDU

Telangana - For People or For Politicians??????

As our UPA govt took this initial step of looking in to the matter of telangana state hood and asked AndhraPradesh assembly to put the bill in Assembly (which looks like a strategic move to break the Fasting taken by KCR).

There are two things to the issue.The emotional one and the insecurity factor.

Its tough to digest a different map for the state of Andhra pradesh. Its more like a family member moving away from the family.

The insecurity thing is " The people who believed that its their place and been told that most of our taxes are being spend in Hyderabad for the development of AP, moved from different parts of the state Now will be seen as outsiders(Valasadarulu...) " [Most of them scared especially after looking at the MNS activities in Mumbai]..

Valasadarulu

The concept of Valasadarulu created by few leaders is pretty confusing.what they ment is people who moved from their Ancestors place.. for that very fact the whole world should relocate to some place in AFRICA...

The common doubt we get when people say Seperate Telangana is-- its for People or for Politicians?????

1) The Local jobs thing can be solved by implementing 610 GO.[which needs to be done by the politicians and relevant Authorities - GOD know what bothered them to implement it successfully]

2) The water allocation problem can solved by Centralizing the thing at national Level.[Central Authority for Water Allocation in India]

3) Identity and accent thing... for every 50kms in india we find a different accent and different traditions... (I heard at least 3 different slangs with in telangana)

4) US got 50 States...so india should have as many States..... Thatz crap.. US got many other things which we dont have here...

5) Development is nothing but catering the peoples needs. the most unfortunate thing is that the policies for development is made by our politicians and they dont change if you create a new map for telugu people or for the fact any other people in india???.. why create this chios in peoples life ????....

The focus now shifts to the Capital Hyderabad - To whom the Hyderabad belongs to...

Some say the whole AP got its share, Coz its been built with contribution from every individual of AP.

Some say its the sole property of Telengana coz geographically it is located here.

Some say its the Nizams who built it and it should be treated at separate state all together.

There are many states in india which got similar demands.

Rajasthan : mewad , marwad , haduti Gujrat : Saurashtra and Gujrat Maharshtra : Vidarbha , marthwada and Khandesh. MP : Bundelkhand ( including areas of UP) , Malwa and Madhyabharat. UP : Purvanchal ( East U.P) and Harit pradesh ( Western UP) rest to be merged with bundelkhand. Karnataka : Kodagu , Canara and Mysore. Tamilnadu : Each district as a state. Kerala : Travancore and Malabar. Assam : Assam and Bodoland WB : bengal , Gorkhaland and Kamtapur.

Telangana Agitation Affect on Real Estate Market

Perhaps there would not have been any in-opportune time for the real estate firms in Hyderabad, the word "Telangana" has frightened them so heavily that they may not even think of investing further in city for at least few years.

The real estate industry, shaken by the US subprime turmoil and subsequent economic recession, has been reeling under tremendous pressure for the past one and half years or so. Even, when the chips were down, The real estate and construction business in Hyderabad was looking forward to election results which was proving to be a major turning point, considering the kind of political risk, as perceived by realtors, was taken into account, if TDP-TRS led grand alliance got catapulted to the echelon of power in the state. Therefore every realtor doing business in Hyderabad gave thumbs-up to a congress win in the last general elections, both at state and central level.

Further, the recent positive developments in the job market and stock market rally, like real estate in any other city, have helped the Hyderabad real estate to regroup and regain some lost momentum in the last couple of months. The heightened activity propelled many who's who of the real estate companies announcing the new projects, particularly in the mid and affordable housing segments in the suburbs of Hyderabad city.

Complete Turnaround in Mood

Ever Since Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao (popularly as KCR) announced that he would go on hunger strike to achieve statehood for Telangana, the Real Estate players were feeling nervous and maintaining caution while holding back their expansion plans. Now, with the Telengana agitation gaining momentum the real estate sector received a jolt and may harm the interests of the real estate companies, specially those dealing with projects in the suburbs of Hyderabad city. "We have witnessed significant increase in number of enquiries and site visits till a couple of weeks ago, in fact, we were able to sell almost 50% of the units in the last 2 months, but now with Telangana issue coming onto centre stage, we see a sudden drop in the enquiries" says Mr. Venkat, MD Cyber Constructions. We had plans of going aggressive with land acquisition for our next project, but with these recent developments we see a major political risk and decided to hold back our plans till we hear some news on the future of Hyderabad, adds Mr. Venkat.

Speculators might be back in business
Due to the perpetual slump in real estate and the congress party, who's election spearhead, Late Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy coming back to power, the speculators were completely out of sorts in the Andhra Region. There was huge speculation built up prior to the elections that the real estate prices in cities like Vijayawada,Guntur,Vizag and Nellore were hyped so high that even the speculators would have imagined.But all this hype proved wrong and Hyderabad real estate turned out to be the beneficiary of the election results and economic recovery. This was the case till recent time.

Hyderabad's loss could be Andhra cities gain

Now, the Telangana agitation gaining momentum, the future of Hyderabad city might be a topic for the debate in coming months, therefore, the natural beneficiary of this would be Andhra Region, where the real estate prices, particularly property prices in cities like Vizag, Kakinda, Rajahmundry, Vijaywada,Guntur,Nellore and Tirupati might see a northward move with speculators turning to these places betting on the division of the state in the two or three parts. Even, dark horses like Kurnool might assume center stage if the a future capital of the Andhra region is going to be discussed.

"Land prices in Nellore and Tirupati have not corrected to an extent of the prices in Vijyawada and Guntur belt where the speculators were most active, so for some one who has got presence across Andhra Pradesh may not be hit that bad, only the companies heavily focused in Hyderabad real estate might be the worst hit. They should diversify the risks by expanding their foortprint to other parts to of the state so the negative effect will be neutralized somewhat" Says Mr. VV, a real estate agent who deals with land sales all over Andhra Pradesh.

Whoever is looking at long-term prospects and want to invest in land for genuine reasons should not worry too much, whether it is Hyderabad real estate or Vizag real estate, the investors are bound to gain in the long run. Only the speculators who bet on quick bucks by changing hands and whoever does dubious deals without owning a property are the ones face wrath of the ups and downs of the market, Mr. VV adds.

So, the morale of the story is, if you are an investor, do not worry, you can still hold on to your piece of land or apartment in Hyderabad, unless one takes decision based on Telangana sentiment.

Source: http://propertydirect.in/NewsView.faces;jsessionid=95F4EE19684927E805773D3CB062EEBC?id=167

Green code must for buildings in eight states

The green building code, termed energy conservation building code, is likely to be mandatory for commercial buildings coming up in eight fast growing states in the next two years.

"In the eight major states where commercial buildings are being built -- Delhi , Haryana, Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh-- our goal is to have the law on their books within two years," said Ajay Mathur, Director General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

BEE finalised the code two years ago and is currently voluntary. Each state will have to amend the legislation to make ECBC mandatory. "We are providing assistance and tools to the states for this," Mathur added.

Though ECBC-compliant buildings would add 10-15 per cent to the overall cost of construction, it would be more than neutralised by the savings from lesser consumption of energy.

"We already have one green building. We are implementing six such projects without any legal compulsion. Though cost is high... it will result in value addition to the users," said Vimal Shah, Managing Director of Ackruti City.

Making the code mandatory would require a lot of preparatory work in terms of monitoring and auditing mechanisms.

Delhi was the first to make mandatory for all new government buildings to be ECBC-compliant. "Haryana and Uttarakhand are close to doing it," said Mathur.

http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/dec/05/green-code-must-for-buildings-in-eight-states.htm