Hyderabad: The issue of the division of state government employees between Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh threatened to snowball into a major controversy with both the sides stiffening their stands.
Even as the issue of the nativity of the state secretariat employees continues to simmer, the chief minister designate of Telangana state K Chandrashekhar Rao made it clear that only employees born in Telangana would be accepted as Telangana employees and those from Andhra will have to work in Seemandhra.
KCR held a crucial meeting with the leaders of the Telangana government, employee unions and associations and assured them that no injustice will be allowed.
On the day the state Chief Secretary P K Mohanty met both the chief ministers designate, KCR and N Chandrababu Naidu, to discuss various issues, KCR adopted a tough stance over the issue.
“Andhra employees will not be allowed to work in [the] Secretariat. Even if Andhra employees are forced upon us, they will be sent back,” he said.
He brushed aside reports in the local media regarding the division of employees, and said that the central government would have a say only in the allocation of the All India service officers.
“Only [the] file regarding the division of the all India services officials was sent to Delhi for approval. As Manmohan Singh did not sign the file, the new prime minister, after taking oath on May 26, will sign the file,” he said.
Initially, 10 to 15 IAS and IPS officers will be allotted to the two states.
“On the other matters, the two governments will have to sit together and take a decision. This was informed by Mr Mohanty,” KCR said.
KCR said that the people of Telangana kept quiet when hundreds of thousands of their jobs were taken away, but now no injustice will be tolerated.
“After the state has been divided, if any attempt is made to curtail our freedom we will not tolerate or bear it. States are different but the country is one. We wish you all the best and want to do well ourselves. Both of us will have own secretariat. If we have to fight unnecessarily it will be a waste time for us,” he said.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of the Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Union, Telangana Gazetted Officers Union, teachers and doctors unions and the Class IV Employees Union among others.
KCR also announced a special increment for all the Telangana employees to celebrate achieving statehood. He said equal opportunities will be provided to all the employees and there will not be any contract employee in the state. For women employees, KCR assured all the facilities, including an increase in the duration of maternity leave.
Leaders were agitated over Telangana employee union President C Vitthal’s name figuring in the list of secretariat employees allotted to Seemandhra.
“This is an act of vendetta against me as I had led the employees struggle for Telangana state,” he said.
Vitthal is a senior assistant in the Intermediate education department. “If this is the fate of a Telangana movement leader, what can happen to the ordinary employees?” he said.
He said that he will take up the issue with KCR.
Meanwhile, chief minister designate of Seemandhra N Chandrababu Naidu stressed the need to ensure fair treatment to employees of Seemandhra and justice to the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.
Talking to the state, Chief Secretary PK Mohanty and other senior officials who called on him at his residence, Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh was at a disadvantage because of the revenue deficit it has been facing from day one. He urged the officials to complete the process of division in a fair and just manner.
Seemandhra power employees’ joint action committee President Sai Baba also met Naidu and urged him to ensure that no injustice was done to Seemandhra employees.
Seemandhra Secretariat employees’ forum convenor Murli Krishna demanded that the division of employees between the two states should be in accordance with the guidelines issued by the central government.
He said that even the employees who were born and brought up in Hyderabad were being declared non-locals. Murli Krishna said that if an option was given to all the employees, Seemandhra employees will happily go to Andhra Pradesh even if they have to sit under a tree and work. “Nobody wants to work in an atmosphere of tension and trouble,” he said.
Of the total 88,232 state employees in Andhra Pradesh, 36,775 government employees have been allotted to Telangana and 51,457 posts to Seemandhra on the basis of the ratio of population.
At present, since many posts were vacant, Telangana has effectively got 25,397 employees and Seemandhra has got 35,536 employees. Those allotted to Telangana will be deemed Telangana state employees from May 28 or 29.
