Hyderabad set to make history

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh lawmakers will hold separate meetings at same time

Mohammad Siddique

Authorities in Hyderabad were facing a big challenge as, for the first time in India, legislative assemblies and councils of two different states will meet at the same place and time.

The budget sessions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP) legislatures are set to begin on March 7 in the same complex. Officials fear this will create congestion as the venue is not large enough to meet the requirements of the two assemblies.

While the AP Assembly will meet in the old building, Telangana’s assembly session will be held in the better equipped New Hall.

In view of the problems faced in the past, the Speakers and chairmen of both the assemblies and the councils will hold a joint meeting to discuss the arrangements with top police and civil officials.

According to the police sources Gate No. 1 of the building will be used by the chief ministers and ministers of the two states and Gate No. 2 by the MLAs and the MLCs and other officials.

Journalists and

visitors

will be asked to use the third gate from inside the Public Gardens.

E.S.L. Narasimha, joint governor of both states, will address the respective legislative assemblies on the first day of the session separately.

Telangana’s government was likely to present its budget on March 11, followed by AP’s budget the next day.

For both states, it will be the first full-fledged budget as last year they had to present their budget half way through the financial year after fresh elections in May and their bifurcation in June.

While AP was likely to present a budget of Rs1.25 trillion (Dh74 billion) budget, Telangana’s budget was also likely to be bigger than Rs1 trillion.