Telangana's struggle for statehood

Hyderabad: All of Andhra Pradesh, and the Telangana region in particular, waits for January 6, when the contents of the Srikrishna committee will be made public. But within the region, nothing short of statehood would satisfy the people. We travelled to both regions to get a sense of the divide, the alienation and the issues that confront the government, when it sits down to find a solution.

Mulkunoor in Karimnagar district is pretty much the heart of the Telangana region. Just four kilometres away is Vangara, the native village of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. The people here, like elsewhere in the nine Telangana districts, feel that for years, ever since their amalgamation into Andhra Pradesh, they have got step-motherly treatment despite Telangana sons of the soil making it big on the political horizon.

Everywhere you go in Telangana, the voices demanding a separate state, are talking about how they have been wronged for years, denied their due share of funds, water and jobs. "Our water, coal, other resources have been looted by Andhra people. They have become rich while we are becoming poorer. They are taking away our food. Is there any Telangana person settled in Andhra, but you will find in every Telangana village, 25 to 40 per cent homes are those of Andhra people," said Veerabhadrachary, a resident of Karimnagar district.

What has always been a subdued sentiment is now a strident protest. Locals point out that despite accounting for over 40 per cent of the geographical area and population, and despite contributing 76 per cent of the state's revenue, Telangana accounts for less than 30 per cent of the state's expenditure. They also say that only 20 per cent of government employees are from Telangana. Two lakh government jobs in Telangana are taken by migrants from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Also GO 610, issued in 1985, to remove or transfer all the non-locals has not been implemented. Add to that little industrialisa-tion and lack of opportunity for skill development. "There are lots of industries in Andhra region. When we complete our course, we lack opportunities for employment in Telangana. When we achieve statehood, we can establish our own industries to generate jobs," said another resident of Karimnagar.

Another major grouse is regarding irrigation water. Nearly 70 per cent of catchment area for Godavari and Krishna rivers falls in Telangana, but there are no assured irrigation sources, so there is perennial drought, migration, crop failure and farmers suicide, whereas the coastal belt reaps the benefit of 75 per cent of the irrigation canals. "The Krishna water that comes through to Nalgonda and goes to Vijayawada and Guntur - people of Nalgonda are not able to utilise the waters for irrigation and it is straightaway going to the people of Andhra," said Jayant, Resident of Karimnagar district.

Over the last one year, the feeling has taken deep root that a separate Telangana state is the first step towards progress and change. Industrialists say the money-bags from coastal Andhra region are preparing for a political decision either way but the uncertainty has seen investors looking for options outside Hyderabad, closer home. "If you see places like Nellore, Prakasam, which were backward districts, in the last one and a half years, industries are going there. People started buying land and trying to establish," said Harish Chandra Prasad, an Industrialist.

The Telugu film industry which is mainly from coastal Andhra, bore the brunt last year when their Sankranti releases were stopped by Telangana activists. But Suresh Babu, one of the prominent producers, says there is no question of moving Tollywood out of Hyderabad, irrespective of whether the state is bifurcated or not. "I don't think anyone in Hyderabad wants to go anywhere. That is very clear. Whatever happens, there is a comfort level here and we want to work towards that," he said.
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(source-NDTV News)