The stage is all set for the meeting between Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad on Saturday with a special focus on the resolution of bifurcation issues arising out of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.
The meeting of the Chief Ministers, the first after four years, has been proposed following the initiative of the AP Chief Minister who wanted the pending issues to be resolved amicably. Mr. Revanth Reddy reciprocated promptly and arranged for the meeting between the two at Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Chief Secretaries’ meeting prior to CMs’ meet to fine tune issues
Though the agenda of the meeting is still to be known, the Chief Secretaries of the two Telugu States are likely to meet in the morning to fine tune the issues that would come up for discussion between the two Chief Ministers.
This will be followed by the meeting of Mr. Revanth Reddy and Mr. Naidu along with senior officials of the two States. Senior officials representing the departments whose issues remained unresolved are expected to take part in the deliberations. These departments include Finance and State Reorganisation Affairs, Energy, Civil Supplies, Industries and Commerce and Revenue.
While few issues like the division of employees between the two States had been resolved within two years of the formation of Telangana State, apportionment of assets and liabilities pertaining to certain Schedule IX and X institutions remained elusive. The two States could arrive at a consensus on 68 out of the 91 Schedule IX institutions — corporations and companies owned by the government of the erstwhile undivided State — but consensus eludes in case of 23 institutions.
Pending power dues has been a contentious issue
Pending power dues between the two States has been another contentious issue. While Andhra Pradesh demanded payment of ₹6,742 crore for the power supplied by it to Telangana after bifurcation, Telangana on its part had claimed that the neighbouring State is due to the tune of ₹17,828 crore. This was on account of the expenditure the State incurred for power purchases from other sources after Andhra Pradesh had abruptly terminated the power purchase agreements it had with Telangana.
The Union Home Ministry conducted several meetings with the two States on the issue and directed Telangana to pay the dues forcing Telangana to take to legal recourse. The High Court which dealt with the case quashed the Centre’s orders.
Mr. Revanth Reddy during one of the press conferences asserted that his government was keen on maintaining friendly relations with Andhra Pradesh and had accordingly focussed on amicable resolution of the issues.
His personal interest had ensured that the long pending bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi was resolved amicably while the apportionment of funds pertaining to the Mineral Development Corporation was on the verge of resolution. Being convened in this background, the meeting of the Chief Ministers assumes significance as the two, close associates in the past, appear to be firm on resolving the pending issues in the interests of the people of the two States.
