MIM not in favour of Hyderabad as UT; pitches for unified AP

November 6, 2013

Hyderabad, Nov 6: The MIM has strongly opposed the idea of making Hyderabad a Union Territory on the lines of Chandigarh, in the event of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh even as the party again made a strong pitch for a unified state.

"We cannot accept Hyderabad as a Union Territory. We are also opposing Hyderabad as the common capital (for Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh) in the event of the state's division. Both the ideas are totally misconceived," Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi asserted here today.

Addressing a press conference along with MLC Syed Amin Zafri at the MIM headquarters, Asaduddin said they would like creation of a Rayala-Telangana state by adding two out of four districts of Rayalaseema to the 10 districts of Telangana, if bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh could not be stopped.

"Whether I like it or not, division of the state looks a reality. Rayala-Telangana doesn't look to happen. But, in the interest of justice, the districts of Kurnool and Anantapur (of Rayalaseema) should be added to Telangana as Rayalaseema will be the worst sufferer in the event of the division. It will resolve the water issue or else there will be water wars," the MP said.

Apprehending that the bifurcation would "hurt the Muslims very badly," the MIM supremo also noted that it would hurt the backward Rayalaseema as well.

"Bifurcation will lead to miscarriage of justice against Muslims. Muslims, Christians and Dalits will be the losers in the event of the division while it will help the Sangh Parivar to grow strong," he added.

Lashing out at Congress leaders from Telangana for suggesting that law and order of Hyderabad could be under the Centre's control, Asaduddin said they did not have the right to barter over Hyderabad.

"Hyderabad should be given to Telangana without any condition in case of bifurcation. Government of India should realise that Hyderabad is not Chandigarh as there is no geographical contiguity. We can't accept the Centre controlling Hyderabad's law and order, revenue and municipal administration," he asserted.

"We are the biggest stakeholders of Hyderabad. We will first take to the streets, then to courts and next to polling booth on the status of Hyderabad," Asaduddin warned.

Noting that Hyderabad was the only growth engine for Telangana, the MIM chief said it should not be made the common capital of the two states.

"Let a clean separation be made," he demanded. The MIM, he said, submitted a detailed point-by-point response to the issues raised by the Union Home Ministry on the bifurcation issue.

Asked if he was hopeful the bifurcation would indeed happen in the current political scenario, the MP remarked: "Let the Bill come (to Parliament). Everything will become clear by December 8."

The MIM would attend the all-party meeting convened by the Union Home Ministry on November 12 and 13.

The demands MIM raised, in the event of the bifurcation, are: granting first language status to Urdu along with Telugu in the new state of Telangana, enactment of Prevention of Communal Violence legislation in the two states, national project status for Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme, handing over of AP Bhavan in New Delhi to Telangana and separate High Court for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

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Average age of school children picking up drugs, smoking habit in 10 Indian cities around 13 years!

News Network

December 13,2025

New Delhi: School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said.

The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school.

The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS's National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regions.

The survey included 5,920 students from classes 8, 9, 11 and 12 in urban government, private and rural schools across 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. The data were collected between May 2018 and June 2019.

The average age of initiation for any substance was 12.9 (2.8) years. It was lowest for inhalants (11.3 years) followed by heroin (12.3 years) and opioid pharmaceuticals (without prescription; 12.5 years).

Overall, 15.1 per cent of participants reported lifetime use, 10.3 per cent reported past year use, and 7.2 per cent reported use in the past month of any substance, the study found.

The most common substances used in the past year, after tobacco (4 per cent) and alcohol (3.8 per cent), were opioids (2.8 per cent), followed by cannabis (2 per cent) and inhalants (1.9 per cent). Use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users (90.2 per cent).

On being asked, 'Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age' separately for each substance category, nearly half the students (46.3 per cent) endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students (36.5 per cent) agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products.

Similarly, for Bhang (21.9 per cent), ganja/charas (16.1 per cent), inhalants (15.2 per cent), sedatives (13.7 per cent), opium and heroin (10 per cent each), the students endorsed that these can be easily procured.

About 95 per cent of the children, irrespective of their grade, agreed with the statement that 'drug use is harmful'.

The rates of substance use (any) among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance use (ever), use in the past year and use in the past 30 days. Compared to grade VIII students, grade IX students were more likely, and grade XI/XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance (ever).

The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI/XII students as compared to grade VIII students.

About 40 per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each. The use of cannabis (any product) and opioid (any product) by a family member was reported by 8.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent of students, respectively, while the use of other substances, such as inhalants/sedatives by family was 2-3 per cent, the study found.

A relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members, while a higher percentage reported inhalants, sedatives, cannabis or opioid use among peers.

Children using substances (past year) compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance use by their family members and peers.

There were 25.7 per cent students who replied 'yes' to the question 'conflicts/fights often occur in your family'. Most students also replied affirmatively to 'family members are aware of how their time is being spent' and 'damily members are aware of with whom they spend their time'.

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