Did Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan put bills on hold over objections from stakeholders?

HYDERABAD: While the Raj Bhavan has informed the Supreme Court that three bills have been approved and three more are under 'active consideration', speculation is rife as to what made governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to withhold assent to some bills despite the state government wanting a quick clearance.
Sources said the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill was put on hold after Soundararajan received several representations from Bhadrachalam municipality opposing division of the civic body into three gram panchayats. With regard to the Telangana Public Employment (Regulation of Age of Superannuation) Bill, sources said the governor is scrutinising it as it was perceived to be drafted only to benefit a few public health department officials.
Though Raj Bhavan has not referred the Panchayat Raj Bill to the President, the governor's office has informed the SC that Soundararajan had sought clarifications from the government.
It is learnt that Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah along with other representatives had told the governor that Bhadrachalam should not be divided into three gram panchayats. "The MLA and others thought that it would cause a lot of problems in the temple area and brought their concerns to the notice of the governor," a source said.
The letter also stated that the governor wanted some clarifications on the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2023 while the Azamabad Industrial Area (Termination and Regulation of Leases) (Amendment) Bill 2022 had not been received from the government. Sources in the government, however, said that it had been sent back by the governor to the law department for clarifications.
KCR and Soundararajan have been at loggerheads for more than three years now. While the state government has accused the governor of playing politics and not remaining neutral, the governor has alleged that protocol has not been maintained and the Raj Bhavan not been given due respect. When the governor did not clear bills, the state approached the Supreme Court.
Sources also said the governor is yet to approve the bills that matter most to the government. With assembly elections later in the year, the state government wants to start recruitment in state universities with the help of the common recruitment bill which envisages setting up of a board to recruit teachers. The governor had initially sought the University Grants Commission's (UGC) opinion on it and later sent it to the President. Similarly, the Azamabad bill is crucial as the state wants to sell the land and generate revenue. The land was initially leased to industrial units, many of which have either shut down or using it for different purposes.
The Telangana Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, enhancing the minimum term to move no-confidence motion against municipal chairpersons and mayors from three to four years is also important. About 20 chairpersons representing BRS are facing no-confidence motions across the state, which the government is keen to ward off at least until assembly elections are held.