The Telangana State Government is gearing up to present a strong case in support of its stand on bifurcation issues pending between the two Telugu States, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, during the meeting convened by the Union Home Ministry on Tuesday.
Bilateral issues
The Union Home Ministry has called for the meeting to discuss bilateral issues like division of schedule IX and X institutions, apportionment of institutions not mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act, and division of assets and liabilities of the erstwhile AP State Finance Corporation, among others. Interestingly, the division of Singareni Collieries Company Limited and its associated firm AP Heavy Machinery Engineering Limited too, figured in the agenda circulated by the Union Ministry.
The State had been contending that SCCL belongs to Telangana on location basis, as specified in the Act, and there was no scope for the neighbouring State to stake claim on its assets. “We are hopeful that the matter will end once and for all after the meeting,” a senior official said.
AP team
The Andhra Pradesh Government has deputed a 10-member team of senior secretaries, including special chief secretaries of Finance, Energy and Municipal Administration departments, to attend the meeting.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar is likely to lead the Telangana delegation comprising senior officials of State Reorganisation affairs, energy and other departments to present the State’s case in the meeting.
The agenda included bilateral issues like division of cash and bank balance (funds under centrally sponsored schemes/expenditure on common institutions/public debt pertaining to externally aided projects), cash credit amount due to AP State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited from its Telangana counterpart.
Tax incentives as assured in the Reorganisation Act, development grant for seven backward districts covering Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra, resource gap, removal of anomaly in taxation matters and central support to creation of new capital city for AP, are among the other issues listed for discussion in the agenda.
