Telangana report to be made public on Jan 6

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has appealed for calm in Andhra Pradesh after a five-member government appointed panel to study the feasibility of a separate Telangana state submitted its report on Thursday.

The Home Minister in a media briefing immediately said the Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana would be made public on Jan 6 after consultation with eight recognized political parties.

?We will consult the report with all sections of the people,? he said, adding that action on the report will be taken after discussion with the eight political parties.

The report will be made public in the evening of Jan 6, after the meeting with the parties during the day.

?We have given the way forward,? said V K Duggal, member secretary of the panel.

The Home Minister said the report will be carefully studied by his ministry and would be shared with other departments.

?Immediately after the meeting (with the parties) on Jan 6 the report will be made public,? he said, urging the people of Andhra Pradesh to maintain calm and appealing to media to avoid any speculative story before the publication of the report.

?We are glad that 2010 is a peaceful year in Andhra Pradesh and we desire that the peace will be maintained in future too,? he said.

He said the government will begin the process of consultation since ?it is the only way in democracy?.

?We will maintain peace, harmony and law and order,? he said, adding that the security forces deployed in Andhra Pradesh and the Telanagana region is a purely a precautionary measure.

?We have faith in the wisdom of the people of Andhra Pradesh and we hope peace and harmony will remain,? he said.

The Home Minister also urged the media to exercise caution in reporting.

?Avoid speculative stories on the committee?s report, ? he said, urging the media to cover it and promote fair debate after Jan 6.

?All of us should look to the future, the past must be put behind us,? he said.

Later, briefing the reporters, Justice B N Srikrishna said: ?The report is in two volumes and it is a voluminous one, which has covered all issues.?

The Srikrishna committee was constituted by the Centre on Feb 3 this year to gauge people’s reaction to the Telangana issue.

The committee, in the past ten months, had visited all 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh.

On Dec 9, 2009, the Government of India announced that the process for the formation of Telangana state would be considered upon introduction and passage of a separation statement by the state assembly of Andhra Pradesh.