The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Srikrishna panel to begin talks from April

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 06, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Srikrishna panel to begin talks from April

Special Correspondent

“Committee will neither say ‘yes' nor ‘no' to statehood for Telangana”

No permanent office for the committee in Hyderabad: Srikrishna
Sittings will be held at Jubilee Hall and at Lakeview Guesthouse

HYDERABAD: Winding up its two-day preliminary visit, the Justice Srikrishna Committee has decided to begin consultations with political parties, individuals and stakeholders from the first week of April to examine the situation in Andhra Pradesh on the demand for separate Telangana and against it.

Committee chairman Justice B. N. Srikrishna and member secretary Vinod Kumar Duggal told reporters here on Friday that they had come here to make sure the infrastructure was in place to enable them to take up serious discussions with all stakeholders.

‘Solution a priority'

Justice Srikrishna said at the dinner hosted by Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan that he along with other committee members met leaders of various political parties and sought their cooperation when the panel starts its work. To a question on whether the panel would work in tune with the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement that the process for Telangana had been initiated, he said the panel was neither saying ‘yes' to Telangana nor ‘no', but, was only applying its mind to finding a solution.

Justice Srikrishna said there would be no permanent office in Hyderabad as the head office was in New Delhi. “I will function from Mumbai. It is unnecessary to have a third office when active electronic communication is available. An office here will be counter-productive and we will be under pressure from people,” he remarked.

Secretarial support

Mr. Duggal said they would hold sittings for 10-12 persons at Lakeview Guest House and for bigger delegations at Jubilee Hall. MCR HRD Institute would be used as a back-up. Chief Secretary S. V. Prasad had assured full secretarial support during the panel's visit. A website for the panel would also be created shortly.

The full committee will tour the State for interactions with larger groups while one or more members will carry out their work when specific socio-economic, cultural and historical issues needed to be studied.

The Member-Secretary said the committee had written to presidents of State units of various parties to send their views. When his attention was drawn to the statement of APCC chief D. Srinivas that his party's national leadership would write to the panel, Mr. Duggal said he should put the same view in writing and submit it to the committee.

Committee members Ranbir Singh, Ravinder Kaur and Abusaleh Shariff were present. Later, the committee members left for New Delhi.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh