Srikrishna panel: New state of Telangana will lead to large-scale migration & social unrest

The controversial chapter of the Justice Srikrishna Commission report that was stashed away in a separate cover for being too direct and volatile reflects rather poorly on the state of education and predicts migration woes leading to conflicts social unrest and adverse impact on farming.  

Observing that most of the educational infrastructure in Telangana, located within the limits of Greater Hyderabad and owned by Seemandhra people, has been used by the student community for pro-Telangana agitations, the report cautions, “This may lead to migration of the faculty as well as these institutions, impacting/reducing the availability of local persons who can be productively engaged by the industry/ business-houses.”


Taking into account Telangana’s riches as having deposits of limestone and granite and dominant industries of thermal power and pharmaceuticals etc., the report observe that most industries are managed by Seemandhra people.

It then questions the main propaganda of Telangana agitation which demanded that job opportunities in all these industries should be made available to the people of Telangana, and asks who would substitute the owners and skilled personnel employed in these industries that come from the Seemandhra region.

“The inability to substitute them with sufficient number of qualified locals may lead to conflict between the locals and non-locals and also between the management and the workforce,” the report deduces.

Observing that energy deficiencies in Telangana region may lead to migration of population to Seemandhra region that is rapidly expanding its energy sources, viz., gas, wind, solar and nuclear, besides having coal, the report warns of further imbalance in employment opportunities, which may become a cause for social unrest.

Dwelling further on energy deficiency in Telangana where substantial energy gets consumed by industrially-developed Nalgonda, Medak, Mahboobnagar and Hyderabad, the report observes that any economic imbalance may lead to energy starvation of the small and marginal farmers, who are currently enjoying free electricity for irrigation, thus adversely affecting the productivity.

“This can cause decline in their earnings which may result in distress sale of lands and their migration to the industrial belt in the Hyderabad city,” cautions the report.

“This may further cause change in the population profile, pressure on unskilled employment sector, land and water utilisation in Hyderabad which in turn may accentuate inter-regional rivalry and tensions in Hyderabad area,” it warns.

Finally, dealing with the socio-economic equations, the report looks at the historical dominance of upper castes of Reddys and Velamas in Telangana that led to the discrimination of the bulk of population coming from backward community of Munnur Kapu, Mudhiraj, Gouds, Padmashalis and the scheduled castes, mainly  ‘madigas’ and caused Naxalism.

Trying to dissect the scenario in case of the formation of Telangana state, the report says, “Even today while the leaders of the separate Telangana agitation are from dominant castes, the actual foot soldiers are mainly from the BCs and SCs, who are aspiring to acquire political space and leadership. These aspirations, if not realised, may become an important factor contributing to social unrest.”