Telangana GoM to meet on Friday

Sushilkumar Shinde will head the reconstituted Group of Ministers consisting of seven Union Ministers

Despite the protests in Seemandhra, the Centre has speeded the process to create a separate Telangana state.

"The first meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) on Telangana will be held on Friday," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said. He would head the reconstituted GoM of seven ministers.

Defence Minister A K Antony, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Veerappa Moily and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh are on the GoM. Minister of State for Personnel and the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy is a special invitee.

Curfew in violence-hit Vizianagaram town was relaxed for two hours on Wednesday morning to allow people to purchase essential commodities with the situation there limping back to normalcy.

The terms of reference for the GoM include determine the boundaries of the new state of Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, and to look into the legal and administrative measures required to ensure that both the state governments can function efficiently from Hyderabad as the common capital for 10 years.

The terms of reference for the GoM are as follows:

(i) Determine the boundaries of the new state of Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the electoral constituencies, judicial and statutory bodies, and other administrative units,

(ii) Look into the legal and administrative measures required to ensure that both the state governments can function efficiently from Hyderabad as the common capital for 10 years,

(iii) Take into account the legal, financial and administrative measures that may be required for transition to a new capital of the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh,

(iv) Look into the special needs of the backward regions and districts of both the states and recommend measures.