Andhra Pradesh may lose Hyderabad

The Centre is reconciled to a separate Telangana, but the future of Hyderabad hangs in balance.

The Congress-led UPA government is inclined to hand over the historic city to the proposed state, with both a union territory status and dual control, on the lines of Chandigarh, having no takers.
Government sources said it was logical to transfer Hyderabad to Telangana. “We are not in favour of another Chandigarh, as that experiment has remained a festering wound even after decades,” they said.

To compensate for the loss, the Centre may offer to develop the twin cities of Vijayawada and Guntur, with the port city of Vizag serving as a hub for commercial activity, on the lines of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, in rest of Andhra.

There is a strong feeling in Delhi that dual control is fraught with dangers. Chandigarh created more bad blood between Haryana and Punjab as none was prepared to leave the city, mostly for political reasons. And there is no guarantee that a similar situation will not emerge in Andhra.

The geographical location of Hyderabad is weighing on the Centre’s mind to include it in Telangana. Unlike Chandigarh, which is contiguous to both Haryana and Punjab, Hyderabad is in Telangana. It cannot be the capital of Andhra (minus Telangana) as the nearest Andhra border from the city would be nearly 150 km, while Telangana is on the threshold, a home ministry source said.

The Centre plans to announce the creation of Telangana as soon as a consensus emerges among political parties of Andhra. At the moment, however, it’s a tough call, as the parties are vertically split.