The Union Government has averred that efforts are underway to build consensus between the two Telugu States – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – for amicably resolving the pending issues between them.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that large number of provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 have been implemented and the remaining are at various stages of implementation. Some of the provisions relating to setting up infrastructural projects and educational institutions have long gestation period for which time period of 10 years had been prescribed in the Reorganisation Act.
The Minister gave a written reply to a question raised about the pending issues between the two States by Congress member K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao in Rajya Sabha. The Minister’s reply comes two days ahead of the crucial meeting between Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his AP counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy slated to be held here on Thursday.
The meeting comes in the light of intensification of efforts by the two States to expeditiously resolve the pending issues, The two States could not arrive at a consensus on several issues including the apportioning of assets and liabilities of the State undertakings and division of investments made in certain funds. The issues had been hanging fire since five years and the efforts made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee constituted under the chairmanship of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram could not cut the ice. The Union Home Ministry has conducted 23 meetings with the representatives of the Central Ministries as well as those from Telangana and AP to review the status of implementation of the promises made under the Reorganisation Act.
In addition to the continuing stalemate over the distribution of revenues and apportionment of public debt between the two States, several key issues relating to bifurcation of the institutions listed under Schedule IX and X too remained unresolved. This apart, the division of the AP Bhavan in Delhi had not been completed so far in spite of several meetings conducted by the Union Home Ministry. The Act prescribes that the properties outside the two States should be divided on the basis of the population ratio and an expert committee appointed to look into the issue had suggested three options relating to the division. Though AP government had given its consent for two of the options, TS government had not responded so far. The State government is firm that the AP Bhavan had been constructed on the land allotted to the State in the national capital in lieu of taking over of the Hyderabad House which was an exclusive property of the Nizams.