Hyderabad, June 28: The Controversy over declaring Hyderabad as a free zone for the purpose of recruitments, which triggered agitations for a separate Telangana state in the last two years, has erupted again.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday announced recruitment of subinspectors without removing the contentious clause 14 ( f) of the Presidential Order of 1975, which declares Hyderabad as a free zone for recruitment of police officers of the rank of sub- inspector and above, thereby giving equal rights to people from all parts of the state to get postings in the state capital.
According to the latest notification, recruitment will be conducted under the existing rules and regulations and written tests will be held on August 13 and 14.
Though the recruitment notification for 1,293 sub- inspectors across the state was issued in 2008, written tests had to be postponed thrice due to protests against declaring Hyderabad a free zone.
The government decision has evoked sharp reactions from the Telangana groups. The Telangana Political Joint Action Committee said it would launch a massive agitation if the government did not defer the recruitment notification till the controversial clause is removed. “ The state government should apply pressure on the Centre to bring an amendment removing clause 14 ( f) from the Presidential Order,” JAC chairman Prof M. Kodandaram said on Sunday.
The Telangana parties claim that recruitments under the contentious clause would deny jobs to locals in Hyderabad.
—Agencies