Telangana panel report before winter session: Shinde

Home Minister refuses to say by when the new state would be formed

The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana, examining various aspects of Andhra Pradesh's bifuraction, will submit its report to the cabinet ahead of parliament's winter session, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Friday.

"We will submit the report before the winter session begins," Shinde told reporters.

The session is likely in December.

Shinde, however, refused to say by when the new state would be formed.

"There is a process. When parliament passes the Telangana bill, the new state will come," he said.

The seven-member GoM has held two meetings in the past few weeks in which it has held detailed discussions over sharing of natural resources like river water, land, power, distribution of assets and demarcation of boundaries.

The panel will also examine how both Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh can function efficiently from Hyderabad, their common capital for 10 years.

The panel has sought detailed reports department-wise both fom central and state ministries. These together with public feedback on the proposed bifurcation will be debated in the next meeting of the GoM Nov 7.