Expert panel to determine capital of residual Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday said an expert committee will be set up to determine the new capital of residual Andhra Pradesh. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the expert panel will be constituted within 45 days of the Telangana Bill being enacted by the Parliament, and it will recommend the new capital.

The government is committed to financing the building of the new capital -- Rajbhavan, Secretariat, High Court and all other such facilities, the minister told media here two days after the Union Cabinet gave the go-ahead for the creation of a 10-district Telangana.

The bill, cleared by the Cabinet, will be sent to the President with a request to make a reference to Andhra Pradesh assembly to obtain its views. According to the decision, Hyderabad will remain the common capital for both the states for a period not exceeding 10 years.

On the issue of water-sharing, which has been subjected to heated debates in both the regions of Andhra Pradesh, Ramesh said the Centre would create a two-tier institutional mechanism--political and administrative-- to address it.

"On water, we are suggesting a two-tier mechanism-- an apex council comprising of chief ministers in order to discuss issues relating to planning of water resources and two boards--a Krishna River Board and Godavari River Board-- to do the day-to-day management regulation and administration to ensure that the award to the tribunal will get implemented," he said.

He said Krishna board will be located in residual Andhra Pradesh and Godavari board will be located in Telangana. "And for the first time in the bill we have put the principles on which the boards will function so that water does not emerge as a source of conflict," the minister said.

He said that Polavaram will be declared as a national project and will be executed by the Union government following all environmental and R&R norms.

Next: Ensure smooth bifurcation: Centre to Andhra leaders

Ensure smooth bifurcation: Centre to Andhra leaders

New Delhi: Amid protests in Seemandhra against the division of Andhra Pradesh, the Centre on Saturday appealed to political parties in the state not to make "dangerous" statements and cooperate with it to ensure smooth bifurcation.

"The bill can only go so far... But unless the political process unites people rather than dividing people, the process of bifurcation will be very very painful," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said.

A key author of the Telangana draft bill, Ramesh said that the bill makes provision for ensuring that bifurcation is smooth and equitable. "However, if political parties make political statements, if political parties make, what in my view are, dangerous statements, no bill can instill confidence in the people," said the minister who represents Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha.

His statement came amid reports that his party colleague and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has signalled a rebellion in the Congress against the bifurcation move.

"Political process is very very important. Unfortunately, the statements that have been made by certain leaders have provoked a lot of fear and uncertainty and I feel that now the priority should be to discuss the bill in the Andhra Assembly and it will come back to Parliament," he said.

"Lot of political parties have created lot of fear and uncertainty by their provocative statements. Political parties across the spectrum... without exception," Ramesh said. The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave the go-ahead for the creation of a 10-district Telangana and outlined the blueprint for carving out the country's 29th state from the current Andhra Pradesh.