Delhi likely to set up states demarcation panel

New Delhi: The federal government may soon announce the setting up of a State Reorganisation Committee.

"A decision to this effect has already been taken. Only the process of finding a suitable person to head the panel is on," sources in the Home Ministry said.

This will be the second such panel. The first was set up in 1953 within six years of Independence from British rule, although five new states have since been created with Haryana and Himachal Pradesh carved out of Punjab in 1966 and Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar respectively in 2000. The proposed panel would explore the possibility of creating new small states keeping in view demands of various regions as well as social and political groups.

An indication that the new State Reorganisation Committee is about to be set up was given by the ruling Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi yesterday during his two-day trip to Jhansi in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

"You will have good news soon," Gandhi is reported as having assured leaders of Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha or freedom movement fighting for separate statehood for the region, informing them that the centre had in principle accepted the concept of a separate Bundelkhand state.

The party's state unit also adopted a resolution to this regard at a meeting chaired by Gandhi. According to indications, Bundelkhand may not have to wait until the report of the proposed panel is received since most political parties except the Samajwadi Party is in its favour. State's ruling Bahujan Samaj Party has already announced its willingness to pass a resolution to this effect in the state assembly, if so desired by the centre.

Any such resolution must be adopted by the concerned state assembly by two-thirds majority, which is assured in case of Bundelkhand since the BSP, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are supporting the demand for trifurcation of Uttar Pradesh.

The proposed Bundelkhand state may comprise of Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi and Jalaun districts of Uttar Pradesh and Chhattarpur, Panna, Satna, Datiya, Tikamgarh, Damoh and Sagar districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The state's ruling Bahujan Samaj Party has already announced its willingness to pass a resolution to this effect in the state assembly, if so desired by the centre.