Andhra Pradesh in catch-22 spot over fees

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government is in a Catch-22 situation on the fee reimbursement issue. Despite being more than eager to assure its students, it is officially not able to issue orders that it will reimburse the fees of AP students studying in Telangana if the local government does not do so.

This is because any formal orders from the AP government stating that it would reimburse the fees of its students, would be perceived as a victory for the Telangana government. Ditto is the case with the Telangana government. Though statements are being issued by Telangana ministers that even parents have to be locals to be eligible for fee reimbursement, the Telangana government has not issued formal orders.

“If the Telangana government issues a GO stating that even the parent has to be local, then it would be in violation to the AP Reorganisation Act. In such a case, all parties including students, their parents and the AP government can seek legal action,” said a senior official in the AP government.

Neither of the two parties is willing to compromise on the fee reimbursement issue. While the Telangana government is not interested in reimbursing the fees of AP students in Telangana, the AP gover-nment is firm on its stand that there is no other option for the Telangana government but to reimburse the same as per the AP Reorganisation Act.

Social welfare minister R. Kishore Babu said on Wednesday that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was unnecessarily whipping up regional differences and trying to deny the right to fee reimbursement to AP students in Telangana.

“As per the AP Reorganisation Act-2014, the Telangana government has to reimburse the fees of AP students in Telangana and the AP government will reimburse the fees of the Telangana students in Seemandhra for the next 10 years. If KCR does not do it, it will be in violation of the Constitution. How can anyone, including KCR, violate the law? If the Telangana government issues a GO, then we will go to court,” the minister said, seeking to assure AP students in Telangana that their government would ensure that they do not lose an academic year and that it will make the Telangana government reimburse their fees.

The minister said they were confident that Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan would talk to both the governments as a memorandum has been submitted to him by AP ministers, to settle the issue amicably.