Serving Telangana, Waiting for Andhra

Even after 12 years, Andhra Pradesh employees in Telangana still await transfers to their home state

“Telangana has absorbed 2,300 employees from AP and is now taking steps to receive another 891 employees. However, Andhra Pradesh has not accepted even a single employee of Andhra Pradesh local status working in Telangana over the past 12 years.”

   - M. Mohan Rao

NLTA State President

metro india news I hyderabad

It is a classic case of caught between two states. The Andhra Pradesh-origin employees and teachers working in Telangana have appealed to the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve their long-pending inter-state transfer issue.

According to the Non-Local Teachers Association of Telangana (NLTA), successive governments in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have changed since 2014, but the issue of transferring Andhra-origin employees from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh remains unresolved. Association leaders alleged that while the Telangana government has shown willingness to relieve them, the Andhra Pradesh government has failed to take them back despite repeated requests.

The association said that after the bifurcation, both states initiated a process for inter-state transfers. Telangana had issued a notification allowing Andhra Pradesh employees working in Telangana to opt for transfer to their home state, while Andhra Pradesh also invited applications from Telangana-origin employees working there. Around 1,808 employees applied to move from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana, while 1,369 Andhra Pradesh-origin employees working in Telangana applied to return to Andhra Pradesh. Both governments exchanged No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and processed the files.

Following the merger of the Bhadrachalam submergence villages with Andhra Pradesh, some Telangana employees were shifted to Andhra Pradesh. Over the years, the Telangana government also accepted employees from Andhra Pradesh in multiple phases. Through GO No. 130 issued in 2015, around 1,588 employees were absorbed. Another 727 employees were accepted under GO No. 37 in 2021. Around 160 more employees were taken through GO No. 142, including nearly 60 to 70 employees after the present Telangana government assumed office. In total, nearly 2,300 employees have been transferred from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana over the past 12 years.

The association further pointed out that in June this year, the Andhra Pradesh government sent a fresh list of 891 employees proposed for transfer to Telangana. However, despite Telangana accepting employees from Andhra Pradesh over the years, not a single Andhra Pradesh-origin employee working in Telangana has been transferred back to Andhra Pradesh, they alleged.

The affected employees said the issue could be resolved if both governments work together. They urged the Telangana government to formally write to the Andhra Pradesh government seeking the transfer of the remaining 1,369 Andhra-origin employees. They also demanded a one-time settlement under which Andhra Pradesh would accept them while Telangana would continue to receive the 891 employees proposed for transfer.

NLTA State President M. Mohan Rao said Telangana has already absorbed nearly 2,300 employees from Andhra Pradesh and is now taking steps to receive another 891 employees. 

Despite this, Andhra Pradesh has not accepted even a single employee of Andhra Pradesh local status working in Telangana over the past 12 years. He appealed to the Telangana government to write to Andhra Pradesh and help bring the prolonged issue to a close.

NLTA State General Secretary V. Suryanarayana said the Andhra Pradesh government has been examining the issue on a cadre-wise basis, which has delayed the process. He explained that only seven to eight departments are involved in employees seeking transfer from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh, while employees moving from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana belong to nearly 40 to 50 departments, making the process more complicated.

He suggested that both governments should agree to a one-time settlement under which Andhra Pradesh would accept the 1,369 employees while Telangana would receive the proposed 891 employees. He also noted that around 370 of the 891 employees are Telangana locals and should be sent to Telangana immediately, while Andhra Pradesh should simultaneously take back its local employees.

The association said the prolonged delay has severely affected employees and their families. They claimed they have been losing reservation benefits, facing difficulties with health card services, missing promotional opportunities and living away from their families and relatives for years. They urged both state governments to intervene and complete the transfer process without any further delay.

Problem

1,369 Andhra Pradesh-origin employees working in Telangana have been waiting since the 2014 bifurcation to be transferred back to Andhra Pradesh, despite Telangana relieving employees and absorbing nearly 2,300 staff from Andhra Pradesh.

Appeal

The employees have urged both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to jointly resolve the 12-year-old transfer issue, with Telangana formally writing to Andhra Pradesh to expedite their repatriation.

Proposed Solution

The NLTA has proposed a one-time settlement under which Andhra Pradesh would accept the remaining 1,369 AP-origin employees, while Telangana would simultaneously receive the 891 employees identified for transfer from Andhra Pradesh, bringing the long-pending issue to a close.